Abandon All Hope
by The-Sarcasmo
Summary: Brick succeeded in taking over the Glades and the Arrow is still noticeably absent. However, there are other players in the city who have plans of their own for Starling City.
1. Prologue

Karina Sparshott looked around at the other city officials who were seated along the expansive conference table inside Starling City Hall. She, as well as every other official present, were called into this late night meeting less then an hour ago by Mayor Castle herself; the short phone call leaving them with a sense of unease as they waited for her arrival. She had never seen everyone who had a role in the city's functions present in one room before. Everyone from the contracted urban planner to the head of waste management was present. As the superintendent of schools, she wondered what type of emergency could possibly warrant all of them to be present. The last she remembered hearing was the mayor and the Captain Lance went to meet with that man terrorizing the city.

Mayor Castle then rushed into the conference room with Captain Lance notably absent, pushing Karina's speculative mind into overdrive.

"Thank you all for coming in such short notice," Mayor Castle shouted above the still murmuring voices of the city officials. "I know you are all must have questions as to what happened at the meeting with Mr. Brickwell tonight."

_Mr. Brickwell?_ She never referred to him so formally like that before; especially when there were no cameras present.

"As you already know I met with Mr. Brickwell to discuss the terms to release the alderman that were captured yesterday. I am thankful to report that they are alive and have been freed from captivity."

The officials begin to clap; but many shared glances as to why they could not have been informed when they returned to work the next morning.

"However," Mayor Castle said abruptly to interrupt the applause as it began. "Mr. Brickwell had later informed me that he has the address of every city official, which includes every person in this room right now. He threatened to begin killing every single one of us if I do not cede control of the Glades to him."

The room erupted in panicked voices, asking how he was able to get such personal information, and what she was doing to guarantee the safety of them and their families. Others began yelling to give up control of the Glades, with others asking about the families that are still living in the Glades. Mayor Castle struggled to regain their attention; but Karina remained silent as she waited to see what the recently elected mayor would say.

"Now listen everyone!" Mayor Castle yelled as she pounded on the table. "I know we are all afraid for the safety of the city. Mr. Brickwell is a terrorist for using such threats against us, and it is policy of this administration, and all the administrations before me, to never give into terrorists."

_But_, Karina thought silently.

"But," Mayor Castle continued. "_We _are citizens of Starling City just as much as the citizens we serve, and in light of such a horrific threat, we must ensure that we are present to help this city through this crisis!"

"What is she saying?" the man next to her whispered, confusion written on his face.

_It means she is not ready to die for this city_.

"I'm not sure," Karina shrugged and gestured for the man to continue listening.

"I have decided to give up control of the Glades to Mr. Brickwell – TEMPORARILY," Mayor Castle had to shout the last word as the room again erupted with dissent, as well as rationalizations in favor, of her decision. Mayor Castle attempted to regain order by shouting over the crowd, but failed to do so as the city officials argued over the decision.

Karina observed the scene silently as she contemplated the news. The position the mayor was in was a political nightmare: cede control of the Glades and be labeled a coward on every form of media for the rest of her term, but if she resisted and an official was killed she would lose all her political allies in the city. Judging by the absence of Captain Lance she had already lost one ally, and the crisis had only just begun. The fear she sensed in the room intoxicated her, feeding into her calm mind as she began to formulate her plan to save the city; and if things went well, it would do so much more.


	2. The City is Saved

"Just where do you think you're going," the burly man said, looking down at the timid young mother holding her baby. They stood at the bridge crossing, surrounded by other burly men holding baseball bats and other makeshift weapons.

"I'm getting my daughter and I the hell out of the Glades, that's what I'm doing. Now get out of my way so I can cross."

"Haven't you heard the news? The Glades belongs to Brick now. Ain't nobody leaving without his permission."

"Why does he care? He already has his little playground all to himself! Just let me go so I can just make sure my daughter is safe."

"You know, I could always keep you safe," the burly man said, stepping in closer and holding the young mother's chin up to make her look at him. His friends laughed, and began to circle around the young mother. There was a hunger in their eyes that, sickeningly, was not abated at the sound of the baby crying.

"Ne-nevermind," the woman stammered, becoming nervous at the sudden attention. "I'll just go home."

She turned around and tried to run, but instead ran into a woman in a black mask who had crept up behind her without her noticing.

"Run," was all the masked woman said.

The young mother ran as fast as she dared, clutching her baby to support the head as much as herself.

"I would be angry that you let such a pretty little thing get away; but if you take her place then I'll promise to be gentle."

"That's okay," Black Canary said, punching the man in the face. "I like being rough."

The man's friends all raised their makeshift weapons and began to advance in unison. Canary slid a small silver device into the center of the circle, and a loud shriek caused all the men to drop their weapons and cover their ears. Canary rushed up to the nearest thug, striking him across the jaw with her metal staff just as the glass of a nearby car window shattered from the canary cry. She quickly did the same for the remaining 4 thugs while they were still reeling from the noise, feeling a rush of adrenaline. Did her sister feel that same rush when she was Black Canary?

The fight, if you could call it that, was over just as quickly as it began. As the adrenaline wore off she was left with an empty feeling in the pit of her stomach; which somehow grew stronger in its absence during the altercation. _This is what she probably felt_, Laurel thought as she picked up the sonic device from the ground. She stared at the device, wondering just how long she has been following in her little sister's footsteps.

"Are you okay, Canary?" Diggle said through her earpiece. He was watching her through a sniper rifle on the roof of one of the nearby buildings.

"I'm fine," she said, pocketing the device. "The west bridge is clear. How are thing's with you Arsenal?"

"Finished over here at the north bridge. All quiet," Roy said matter-of-factly. She was worried at how serious he had become since finding out about the police officer. She wondered if they were all doing this to push back the same empty feeling she felt earlier, and if there was ever any getting out.

"Why aren't the people trying to get out?" Laurel asked, looking around the empty streets leading to the bridge.

Laurel heard a _whizz_ followed by a loud _crack_ as a bullet fired from long range missed her by inches. Laurel ducked as she heard more shots coming from Diggle on the rooftop to cover her.

"I don't think the ones you knocked out were Brick's guys," Diggle said in between sniper fire. "There's a small army of guys with guns tearing apart the Glades and coming to you."

"Here too!" Roy shouted over gunfire. "There's too many for me to take on my own!"

"You guys run for it! I'll get the van and sweep you guys up!"

"What about the Glades?" Laurel asked, as more bullets riddled the car she took cover behind.

"If we stay here and die then we'll never be able to help the Glades or anyone else in this city ever again," Diggle said. "I know it's hard, but once we regroup we can come up with another plan."

"Whatever your plan is, do it fast because I'm stuck here," Roy said over gunshots, which sounded louder than his last communication.

"Same here," Laurel said. "I hid behind a car but there is no place for me to run without getting shot."

"Just hang on, I'm almost out of the building, the van is only a block away after that."

"I just hope you get there before they do, because they're almost here," Laurel said, taking a peek around the front end of the car. The headlight next to her shattered as a bullet nearly hit her once again, and she took full cover, her breathing coming in quick gasps as she rushed to think of what to do.

Suddenly, a small group of helicopters raced across the river, and Laurel could make out soldiers inside. Brick's men shot up at the helicopters, with the soldiers inside returning fire as some of them slid down to the ground on ropes.

"Who the hell are they?" Laurel said.

She reached into her pocket, found her phone, and loaded her news app.

BREAKING NEWS: NATIONAL GUARD ENTERS STARLING CITY TO CURB GROWING VIOLENCE.

"Laurel, what's going on? I just got to the van." Diggle asked, concern in his voice.

"Diggle, I'm fine. In fact: I think the city is saved."


	3. An Opportune Moment

_Citizens of Starling City continue to protest at city hall against the mayor for her decision to abandon the Glades to the criminal commonly known as Brick. Protesters are asking for the mayor's resignation, and a petition to recall her has already started circulating throughout the Glades. Meanwhile, those same protesters are lauding Karina Sparshott as a hero for calling in the National Guard to help quell the criminal uprising in the Glades, which succumbed to violence and looting. In other news Queen Consolidated CEO Ray Palmer has pledged to help with the reconstruction efforts-"_

Diggle muted the TV and returned his attention to Laurel, Roy, and Felicity, who looked just as exhausted as he did. What the news hadn't elaborated was the reason for the reconstruction. The National Guard had left just as quickly as they came, and with Brick in custody, every punk that came out of the woodwork to join him wanted to prove they were tough enough to be the new boss. Everyone in Team Arrow had been up every night to show them just how wrong they were. But, even with the three of them out every night, they still didn't have the same intimidating presence as…

"Any word from Oliver?" Diggle asked the trio before him.

"Nothing since he left," Felicity said grimly. She had lost her usual cheerful rambling ever since he went to face Ra's al Ghul.

"I'm sure Ollie is fine," Laurel said, trying to hide the worry in her voice.

"I don't mean to sound like a jerk," Roy said. "But with everything still crazy here there's not a whole lot we can do for Oliver right now."

"If it were one of us that had gone missing..." Laurel started.

"Oliver would search every corner of the world to find us...once the city was safe."

"He's right," Felicity said. "Oliver loves us, but he loves this city more. And wherever he is, I'm sure he wants us to keep this city safe for him."

"Well despite our best efforts, the bad guys are noticing the Arrow hasn't been around lately to put the fear of God in them," Diggle said.

"Then we just need to do it for him then," Laurel smirked.

"Easier said than done. I mean, not only are the bad guys running loose, but we got people protesting against the mayor which makes everything crazy right now. All of it is bigger than us, and we need a plan."

"Well Ray is wanting to start some projects to revitalize the Glades, I can reach out to him to see what he has in mind," Felicity said.

"And I might have an idea for how to bring back some of that fear of God you were talking about," Laurel said, glancing over at Roy.

"I'm not going to like this idea of yours, am I," Roy said.

"That depends: how much did you like riding Oliver's bike?"

* * *

The elderly shopkeeper held the shotgun up against the two men who had just smashed in his window and jumped through after closing. The two men looked at each other and smiled.

"What are you going to do with that, old man?" One of the men said.

"Please, just leave me alone. I don't want to hurt you," the old man pleaded.

"I think that shotgun would say otherwise," the partner in crime said. "I mean it would, if it didn't look like it was about to fall apart."

The old shopkeeper broke eye contact and glanced at the shotgun in his hands, and the two men rushed him, managed to pull the gun away and knocked him down. The partner in crime pumped the shotgun and pointed it at the shopkeeper.

"Thanks for the gun. It'll help my friend and I take out the competition."

A whistle, and suddenly the shotgun flew out of the partner in crime's hands. The duo looked over at the source of the arrow and saw the familiar green hood looming in the broken window. There was a beep and a deep voice boomed at them: _get out before I take you out_.

The two men quickly scrambled past the hooded figure, as the Arrow followed them with the bow drawn. The shopkeeper scrambled behind the counter and then picked up the baseball bat he kept to ward off the younger generation of criminals, but the Arrow had already disappeared. The shopkeeper went over to the broken window to assess the damage. A stack of the day's newspapers were already waiting for him, with the delivery truck apparently ignoring the sign of distress. He picked up the stack and read the headline: **Sparshott to Take Shot at Mayor's Office.**

The sound of a motorcycle racing down the street filled the empty silence of the Glades, and the green hood flew back from the wind; Roy Harper quickly pulled the hood over him in between switching gears, and raced to the next opportune moment to put fear into the hearts of criminals.


	4. Allied Powers

[Author's Note: I added a little bit more to this chapter to introduce a character I wasn't sure I was going to use. Now that I've planned things out a little more, there should be a new chapter coming up soon. Thanks everyone who has read and reviewed this story so far!]

"_Mayor Celia Castle resigned from office yesterday after days of protesters demanding she do so. We are joined here today by Karina Sparshott, the Superintendent of Schools who broke ranks from Mayor Castle by calling in the National Guard, and has announced her candidacy for the office. Ms. Sparshott thank you for being here today."_

"_Thank you for having me, it's a pleasure to be here."_

"_I just want to ask you the question on everyone's mind: Where did you get the courage for such a bold action that could have very well gotten you fired?"_

"_I felt the Mayor, while understandably afraid for her life and the life of the officials that criminal Brickwell had threatened, including myself, was mistaken in agreeing to his demand to cede control of the Glades. So while I was scared not only of losing my job but also potentially my life, well, I just felt the people of the Glades had every right to be protected like all the other citizens of this great city."_

"What do you make of her?" Felicity asked Diggle as they watched the broadcast in the lair.

"I don't really follow the mayors office anymore. I haven't seen a mayor finish a term since before the Quake," Diggle said as he bit into a Big Belly Burger.

"I guess that's true," Felicity said as she glanced at the screen which marked Roy's GPS tracker on the map. "You sure it was okay to leave Roy out there by himself?"

"If I was really leaving him by himself I wouldn't have put that tracker on him. Besides, he said he had something personal to do tonight."

"I still don't get why he was trying to be so secretive. We both know he's just going to stalk Thea now that she is coming back from her vacation, soul searching, or whatever it was."

"Because despite the responsibility we put on him to become the Arrow, he's still just a kid."

"Temporarily- become the Arrow, I mean," Felicity said blurted, and then looked over at the broadcast again. "Until Oliver gets back."

"Of course. I'm sure Oliver is still just caught up with-"

"Look, I know you don't believe it; but I know Oliver is alive."

"I think that too..."

"Then why haven't you gone to look for him?" She said turning back around, unable to contain her anger anymore. "It made sense when the city was in chaos but things are starting to get back to normal. We should be out there looking for him."

"And do what? Walk up to a fortress full of assassins and ask if Oliver is there? I'm sure he is still alive, and I'm sure he has a good reason as to why he hasn't called us. But the last thing he would want is to put ourselves in harms way. Especially you."

They sat there staring at each other until there was a beep from the monitor.

"Roy's moving from the airport. Thea must be on her way home now."

* * *

Thea Queen rolled down the window to the taxi she just entered, savoring how the cool air of Starling City contrasted with the humidity of Corto Maltese. Yet at the same time she was already nostalgic of her time there. She had experienced and learned so much in such a short time, and had almost considered just starting over and leaving this cold city behind forever. But she did not become strong to run away from her pain. She became strong so she could endure and take back her life. The sound of a motorcycle somewhere in the traffic redirected her thoughts, and she wondered how her brother was doing.

The taxi pulled up into the luxury apartment complex at the heart of downtown, and Thea paid the fare to the impatient driver. Another thing she would miss about Corto Maltese was the people; much more calm and willing to make a friend out of any stranger.

She glanced over and saw a dark figure dart into the alley, and she immediately tensed; being aware of movement was one of the many things she had learned.

"Everything okay miss?" the doorman asked, holding the door open for her.

"Yes," she said, continuing to eye the corner. "I just thought I saw something..."

Thea turned back around and saw the doorman suddenly had a knife in his hands, and he thrust it at her jugular. She managed to block it and returned the favor, striking her assailant in the throat to stun him. The doorman coughed, and he was able to quickly recover, but not without dropping the knife. Then it turned into a full on brawl. Thea fought through the pain of the strikes the doorman had landed as she did the same to him, and knew that despite her recent training she did not have enough stamina to continue the fight for much longer. She needed to end this _now_.

Thea aimed a powerful low kick at the doorman's knee cap opposite the bend, and heard a small _pop_ as it was forced from it's socket. The doorman grunted, a sign he knew how to withstand pain, and continued to throw punches, albeit much slower due to the lack of a strong stance. Thea took advantage and rolled, grabbing the knife in the process. She shot back up and held it to the doorman's throat.

"Who are you and why are you trying to kill me?" she demanded.

"I was sent to collect on a debt owed by your father," the doorman spat.

"In case you haven't noticed, he's not with me."

"It does not matter; you are a part of him and you must suffer the same fate."

The doorman stomped his injured leg on Thea's foot, popping the joint back into the socket as well as stunning her. He broke free and began to limp away when an arrow suddenly entered his already injured leg, the pain from both injuries too much even for him. Thea looked over and saw the Arrow, who still had his bow drawn and aimed at the doorman. The doorman mumbled some words and then swallowed some liquid before quickly collapsing from the eternal weight of death.

"Who the hell was that guy?" Thea asked as she began to massage what would eventually become bruises.

"A member of the League of Assassins," the Arrow said through a distorted voice. "Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"A girl's gotta take care of herself. Can't rely on anyone else but yourself."

"Believe me, if the League is coming after you, you're going to need help."

"And why are they coming after me, exactly?"

The Arrow tilted his head as the shriek of police sirens penetrated through the din of traffic.

"Some other time," the Arrow said.

He shot an arrow into the air and then ascended into the cityscape, disappearing into the shadows.

"Thanks anyways," Thea said.

* * *

"What do you mean Thea's not the same?" Felicity asked. "Not the same how? Like she dyed her hair or injected with Mirakuru and has gone off the rails?"

"Neither," Roy said. "Although, she did cut her hair. I liked it when it was longer..."

"So what's changed about her then?" Diggle asked.

"She's...tough. I mean, she got attacked by a League member and she held her own. I have no idea where she could have learned anything like that."

"Oliver's not going to be too happy about that," Felicity said. "He spent so much time trying to keep her out of everything and now she's a target."

"I'm not sure if Oliver is..." Diggle started. "Nevermind."

"What do you mean?" Felicity asked.

"I mean that if the League of Assassins, who Oliver went to go face to protect his sister, is now targeting Thea...well...it means he probably failed."

"John, we went over this already," Felicity said, shaking her head.

"Yes, but that was before we knew the League was coming after Thea still. If Oliver was alive he would have beaten Ra's al Ghul, or at the very least be back in time to make sure Thea was safe."

"Stop it!" Felicity shouted. "Oliver survived 5 years on that island; he's alive. If anything, Thea being in danger now is all the more reason to go look for him."

"What are you talking about?" Roy intruded. "Oliver wouldn't want us to leave Thea to look for him. He would want us to keep her safe."

"Don't talk about him like he's dead, Roy! Besides, you're not thinking about Oliver, you're only thinking about Thea because you're still in love with her."

"It doesn't make it any less true."

"Alright that's enough!" Laurel yelled from the stairway, in her Black Canary suit. Everyone looked over at her, their arguing preventing them from noticing she had returned from the field.

Roy walked away from Felicity and began to put away the equipment.

"How long have you been standing there?" Felicity asked.

"Long enough to get the gist of what's going on," Laurel said, descending the stairs. "So, Thea is back and somehow turned into a badass; and you want to go find Oliver but you're upset that the others have already written him off."

"You're right that was the gist of it," Felicity mumbled.

"I think I might know how to keep Thea safe while making sure Oliver is too."

"Well, let's hear it," Diggle said.

"If Thea is as good as Roy says she is, why not bring her in as one of us? She could use Roy's suit, and we can watch her back while she watches ours. Meanwhile, you and Diggle go look for Oliver and bring him back."

"No way, Oliver would never allow it," Felicity said.

"But dead or not, he's not here. It's just us, and right now we need to stick together."

"She's right," Roy said, now in his red hoodie. "That's the best way to handle this."

Felicity looked over at Diggle, who silently nodded.

"Alright she can join us," Felicity sighed in defeat. "But only until John and I bring back Oliver."

"Okay then," Laurel said, and then looked over at Roy. "Why don't you call our new initiate?"

* * *

Thea unlocked the front doors to Verdant, wishing she had remembered to put her phone on silent so she could have slept through Roy's urgent call to meet him here at 6 in the morning. She needed that sleep to recover. She wasn't sure which was worse, her jet lag or her injuries from the fight with the doorman. She flicked on the lights and saw Roy was already inside the club.

"How did you get in?" Thea asked. "You didn't break a window or anything, did you?"

"I used a secret entrance that was put in before you took over the club."

"Ha-ha. My brother used the same lame joke last year."

"It's not a joke. You know, why don't I show you it?"

Thea looked him up and down, trying to discern if he was joking. After seeing how serious he looked, she shrugged.

"Lead the way."

Roy led her to the back storage room, opened up the door to the basement where the old furniture was stored, and stepped inside.

"If you're leading me into a room filled with rose petals or something on some cheesy, romantic gesture to win me back it's not going to-"

Thea gasped at the arrangement of computers, arrows, costumes, and the three people gathered in the center of the room.

"Hi, Thea," Laurel said, as if they were meeting for a friendly breakfast. "I believe you already know Felicity Smoak and John Diggle. What you don't know is, all of us, including me and Roy, are-"

"Vigilantes..." Thea finished. "Wait, so does that mean Ollie is..."

"The Arrow," Laurel said. "Yes, he is. Or was, however you want to look at it."

"What do you mean? Where is he?"

"We don't know."

"But we think he is alive," Felicity was quick to add. "We just need to go find him. We need your help though."

"Help? Help with what?" Thea said, looking over at Roy.

"First thing's first," Roy said. "Do you like the color red?"

* * *

Karina held her smile as she stepped off the set of the 10 o'clock news and made her way to the green room where her things were stored. Her progress was slowed down significantly as many of the crew came up to her and thanked her for helping to save some of their family members who live in the Glades. She shook their hands and spouted some cliché of modesty such as _anybody would have done the same if they were in my position_ or _it didn't really feel like a choice, it felt like the only thing to do_. However, it was her suspicions at the lack of crowds near the green room that slowed her progress towards the end of the one hundred foot journey. A private security guard came out of the doorway of the green room and beckoned her to enter. Given the security guard was the complete opposite of the thin teenage guards most businesses hired for show, she instantly knew he wasn't part of the news station security.

Karina hesitated for just a moment. _There's going to be more meetings like this with important, sometimes dangerous, people; if you want to be mayor, get used to it_, she thought. She took in a breath, held her head high, and strolled with overconfidence into the green room. She let her breath out in a gasp as she saw who it was.

"Hello Ms. Sparhsott," Ray Palmer said, extending his hand. "I'd like to discuss supporting your campaign for mayor."


	5. Slow and Steady

Laurel Lance parked her car in the rear parking lot of the hit night club Verdant, and popped the trunk to grab her gym bag, the commonplace vessel containing her rather unorthodox leather outfit and weapons. She walked up to the wall with the all too common graffiti in the area, admiring for the hundredth time the sharply curved word: _slick_. Laurel checked her surroundings before pushing in on the dull gray stone arrowhead that dotted the "i." She pushed in on the wall with her hands when she heard the latch come undone and quickly entered and closed the hidden door right behind her. She briskly walked in the near pitch black passageway which lasted a few feet before she pushed in on yet another door, squinting as the unfiltered light of the lair flooded her eyes.

A moment later everything came into focus, Laurel spotting the former couple standing inside the lair with multiple archery targets set up across the exercise and sparring area. Without a word she crossed the lair and headed towards the makeshift locker room they had set up in the corner. With every step she left behind the Starling City ADA she had spent her entire lifetime becoming and, in a few short minutes for a wardrobe change, became the Black Canary.

"Just take it slow," Roy instructed Thea as she drew the bow.

Thea sighed and then launched the arrow, which had widely missed all of the targets. She sighed to clearly show her frustration to her instructor. They had been "taking it slow" for the last 4 hours, and she had made no notable progress.

"Don't sigh," Roy reprimanded. "Instead, take in a breath as you draw the bow and then slowly release it along with the arrow."

"How is that not the same as sighing?" Thea retorted.

"The difference is you're concentrating on your breath, not just letting it come and go just because you're mad. The more aware you are of your breathing the more aware you will be of everything else, including where you arrow will go when you release it."

"Since when did you become such a zen master?" Thea said with a raised eyebrow.

"Ever since I learned that every mistake I make out there is a mistake that can get someone killed. I can't always just smash my way into everything and expect it to come out okay," Roy said, his voice trailing off. There was something behind those words, but Thea didn't want to pry too deep into it. She was worried if she asked for more, she would want more from him too. Then that would lead to a very serious relationship decision she wasn't ready to make just yet.

"Okay, well, I don't know if you noticed, but slowly concentrating on my breath isn't exactly my style," Thea said, lowering the bow. "Why does Ollie even use a bow anyways? He could take down way more bad guys if he used a gun where he didn't have to draw his bow every time."

"That's exactly why he- and me too- use it. It makes us slow down and think about our target and whether we should draw or not. A gun does all the work for you and there's less weight in the choice to pull the trigger."

"That may be all well and good, but it does _me_ no good if I can't even hit my target when I make the choice."

"Just try again, and take it s-"

Thea quickly raised the bow, drew, and released in the same second; this time the arrow landing in 2nd most inner ring of the target.

"-low," Roy finished.

"Like I said, slow isn't my style," Thea said triumphant to the point of mocking.

"That's why we used to call you Speedy," Laurel said, finally making her presence known. "You always had to do everything so fast paced."

"I got things done so much faster that way."

"Maybe for you," Laurel countered. "But you've always had other people around to clean up your mess; literally. Which was fine when it was just toys or clothes or whatever, and Roy's right; there is a lot more at stake with what we do."

Thea's smile deflated along with her moment of victory.

"But," Laurel continued. "I think you do have strong instincts which you rely on to help keep such a fast pace. Try to combine the two: take the breath and eye your target _before_ you even raise the bow, and then use your instincts by drawing quick like you did just now."

Thea nodded, a look of determination masking the doubt she now felt. She placed another arrow on the bowstring, took in a breath as she eyed her target, and then once again quickly shot the bow. This time the arrow landed almost perfectly in the center.

"Oh my God it worked!" Thea said, smiling even wider than before.

"See, I told you. You just have to take it slow and steady," Roy chimed.

"More like steady but fast. Besides, she taught me something in two minutes and you spent hours teaching me nothing."

"Doesn't learning patience count for something?" Roy said with his boyish smile.

"I lost that after the first half hour of hitting nothing but air."

"I meant me. You are hands down the worst student ever."

"Shut up!" Thea said, slapping his arm.

The two play-fought as Laurel desperately tried to think of a way to unhinge herself as a third wheel.

"Well, I'm just going to, um, hit the streets and, uh, beat the crap out of some bad guys," Laurel said as she backed away from the (_couple?_) two of them.

"Hey, uh, wait up I'll go with you, in case you need help," Roy said.

"No it's okay. You can just catch up whenever you two are done with...whatever."

The two of them shared a confused look until what she was implying sunk in; then they both awkwardly glanced at each other and then back to Laurel.

"It's not what you think..."they echoed in unison.

"Like I said, whatever. Just call me when you're ready and you can catch up."

Laurel then quickly walked away, putting on her mask to complete her transformation into the Canary. Roy and Thea stood there silently long after Black Canary disappeared into the shadows of the secret entryway. Neither of them knew what to say next after being called out on their flirting.

"I should probably suit up. She shouldn't go out there without some back-up," Roy said, finally breaking the silence.

"I should go upstairs and check to make sure the club is running smoothly," Thea said, suddenly realizing how tightly she was gripping the bow.

"Yeah," Roy said, looking disappointed.

"Roy," Thea called out. Roy instantly turned to face her and looking expectantly. "Be careful out there. You know, because Felicity and Diggle are gone."

"We will. Speaking of which, any word from them?"

"Felicity sent me a text when they landed and they were going to leave first thing tomorrow morning which, given the time change, should be pretty soon."

Roy noticed Thea's gaze wander ever so slightly, knowing she was worried if her brother was alive or not.

"Don't worry about Oliver. He always just takes off to clear his head without telling anyone. Once they find him they'll talk some sense into him – again – and they'll bring him home."

Thea nodded, said good bye, and rushed up the stairs; her heart beating fast more in response to her emotions rather than the workout from the stairs. She both loved and hated that Roy was able to read her so well. He's been the only person she felt that truly understood her. But she hated it because despite feeling total trust in him, he had lied right to her face about being a vigilante for who knows how long; the worse thing is she didn't know if he was still lying to her about anything else. Now she felt like the one person that understands her is someone she can never really trust. Not to mention her father, Malcolm Merlyn, was teaching her how to take care of herself; and the very first lesson he taught her was to trust no one.

Thea's phone vibrated as she received a text from Felicity.

_Starting the search. We'll check-in every 24 hours. Don't send help if we don't check-in._

Thea sighed. Oliver was rubbing off on people; everyone was too willing to play the martyr.

_No promises_, Thea texted back. She turned off the phone screen and forced a smile on her face as she stepped into the club.

* * *

"Are we even close to being there yet," Felicity huffed as she and Diggle trekked up a hill in what was officially the middle of nowhere.

"Considering we're searching for someone and 'there' is only when we find Oliver, I haven't a clue." Diggle replied.

"Yeah but you said we were going to start our search over at Nanda Parbat, so, are we even close to that?"

Diggle picked up on the anxiety she was trying to hide with her playful tone.

"We're close, but I don't want to get too close. If they're all like the ones that we saw when Slade was doing his own Undertaking of the city, we don't want to run into one."

"But what if that's where Oliver is."

"Then we'll search there last. But first lets see if he is somewhere outside the fortress full of assassin's before storming into it."

"You're right," Felicity resigned, resting against a tree as she grabbed her water bottle. "I just wish we found him already. Like, he took down Ra's Al Ghul and he's been too busy single handedly dismantling the League of Assassin's to call or text or, I don't know, mail a postcard but heard we were in town so he thought he would just drop by."

"Well you know what they say, slow and steady wins the race. As long as we take our time and look for clues, I'm sure we'll find him."

"I've always hated waiting and being patient. That's why I was always so quiet back at Starling City; it took everything in me to sit there and wait for Oliver to send word that he was okay. And I was hating myself for not going with him."

"It's not your fault. If you went with him, who knows, maybe what happened to him might have happened to you too. I'm the one that always has his back when it's time for a fight."

"Yeah but if I went I could have talked him out of it, or something."

"It's not your guy's fault," a strange voice called out.

Diggle drew his gun and pointed it at the source of the voice. A masked man draped all in black and carried a bow stood calmly, as if having a .45 caliber handgun waved at him was the same as waving hello.

"Oliver has always been stubborn for as long as I've known him," the masked man finished.

"Who are you? Are you with the League?"

"My name is Maseo. And the short answer is yes; I am with the League of Assassin's."

"Tell me why I don't just shoot you right now."

"Because I can take you to Oliver."

"Where is he? Is he alive?" Felicity stepped closer in anticipation.

"He's safe, not too far from here. And just barely."

"Why do you keep talking like that?" Feliicty asked.

"Because you ask such short, direct, questions."

"Enough, either tell us where he is or I'll make you tell us," Diggle threatened.

"Please lower your weapon. My wife always insists no weapons when meeting new people."

"Not gonna happen."

"No really," a strange woman's voice said. Diggle looked over and saw a woman standing behind Felicity, holding a sword to the blonde's throat. "I insist."


	6. No Going Back

They marched single file in silence, the man called Maseo leading the way. Diggle followed right behind him, and Felicity nervously paced in front of the woman named Tatsu; her sword drawn but lowered idly in her hands. Diggle was angry at himself for being careless and allowing the deadly pair to sneak up on them. _Oliver would've heard them coming_, Diggle thought. He hated comparing himself to Oliver, yet he knew deep down Oliver was more skilled than he was and could learn from him. The downside was Oliver became so skilled at tracking and killing that he had lost any moral standing; at least Diggle was now slowly helping Oliver regain it.

"Do you think they're really taking us to Oliver, or are they just saying that so we won't resist walking into a trap at Nanda Parbat?" Felicity whispered, her nervousness ending the silence.

"I don't think the League of Assassins got their name from taking prisoners, so..." Diggle trailed off, realizing he wasn't being as comforting as he thought he was.

Felicity simply glared at him and passed him in their tenuous conga line, leaving Diggle with Tatsu and her sword.

"So are you really taking us to Oliver or _are_ we walking into a trap," Diggle asked his female captor.

"No matter what answer I gave, would you believe me?" Tatsu simply replied.

"You got a point."

After just under an hour of their marching with their captors, they came up to a small cabin that was concealed almost entirely by the forest. The only sign revealing its presence was a thin wisp of smoke and a dim light emanating from a small square window. Maseo entered the cabin and called out.

"Oliver, you have visitors."

Diggle noticed Tatsu had tightened her grip on the sword, and took a stance that made her ready to strike at any moment. Diggle was just about to overtake her to allow Felicity to escape when Oliver Queen slowly stepped into the daylight.

"Diggle? Felicity?" Oliver said in disbelief. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Oliver!" Felicity rushed up and hugged him.

Tatsu only sheathed her sword when Oliver returned the embrace. _I guess they were just trying to protect him like we were_, Diggle thought. Diggle lowered his guard as well, and shook Oliver's hand.

"It's good to see you alive and well," Diggle said. He couldn't help but smile.

"Well, alive anyways," Oliver said, patting himself on his wound just above his heart. "Still not 100% after my duel with Ra's."

"But you're alive, so does that mean Ra's is, you know..." Felicity finished by running her finger across her throat.

"No, he's alive. He thinks I'm dead though, so that's a plus."

"How could he not know you're alive? It seems like the kind of thing he would notice," Felicity said.

"He sort of stabbed me in the chest and tossed me over a cliff."

"Oh. I guess I can see how he could think you were dead..."

"Why are you two here?" Oliver said with mild annoyance in his voice.

"What do you mean why?" Felicity asked, glancing back at Diggle.

"We're here to take you home; back to Starling City," Diggle answered.

"I appreciate you guy's coming all the way out here, but I'm in no shape to go anywhere. Thanks for coming."

And to add to the finality of his statement, Oliver turned his back and slowly started making his way to the bed at the other side of the room. Felicity blinked momentarily in shock, and then quickly cut him off from his destination.

"Thanks for coming? You don't give any kind of word that you're alive, Thea gets attacked by an assassin, Roy takes over as the Arrow, we risk our lives to search for you next to a fortress filled with an army of said assassins to bring you back home and _that_ is all you have to say?!"

"Wait, what do you mean Thea was attacked? Is she okay?" Oliver asked.

"She's fine. In fact, she she's not only fine; she's badass. Roy said she fought off a League member all by herself."

"I thought you told me he retracted his orders for my sister," Oliver said to Maseo.

"He did, but Ra's has learned of this new Arrow and sent someone to figure out if you somehow survived," Maseo said. "Your sister was attacked to draw the Arrow out, and it did, which has only increased his suspicions."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"You were too severely injured," Tatsu said from the doorway. "You were barely healing and hadn't even regained consciousness; we didn't want to hinder your recovery."

"That's why you need to come back with us, Oliver," Diggle said. "To protect Thea."

Oliver looked away from Diggle and glanced over at Maseo and Tatsu behind them.

"No. If I go back now, it will only confirm Ra's suspicions I'm alive, and then Thea will really be in danger. Plus, I can barely get up to walk to the bathroom, let alone fight against the League of Assassins."

"So what about Thea?" Felicity asked.

"Go back, get Thea, and get as far away from Starling as you can."

"So we just give up and run?"

"That sound's an awful lot like what Malcolm Merlyn did," Diggle said.

"Well it's clearly the only strategy that has worked so far!" Oliver yelled, and immediately winced due to the strain from his injury. He weakly brushed past them and went outside of the cabin. He walked at a slow pace, and stopped just past the first few trees to catch his breath. His breath was fast at first was due to his injuries, but after a few minutes it remained due to his anger. _How can I save anyone like this?_ Oliver thought.

"I thought I was the only one that got to storm out of awkward conversations," Felicity said as she approached him.

"I can't walk a hundred feet without feeling like I'm going to pass out," Oliver replied in between breaths. "I can't fight, I can't protect Thea, and that means I can't go back."

"So what do you want us to do?"

"Diggle is right. We can't follow Malcolm Merlyn's example of running away and looking over our shoulders for the rest of our lives. Not to mention the city; it still needs the Arrow."

"Which is Roy right now, by the way."

"He's there all by himself?"

"Nooooot exactly..." Felicity stalled.

"Felicity..."

"Laurel is there, she kind of finished taking over for Sarah as the 'Canary,' or something. And, maaaaybe Thea took over Roy's costume since she is kind of a badass now."

"What part of you thought having my sister be a part of this was a good idea?"

"Hey it wasn't my idea. In fact I kept saying how much you would hate to have Thea be involved at all. But then Laurel gave some little speech about strength in numbers and next thing you know she was in the lair."

"Well that's just great. With Roy as the Arrow and Thea as his sidekick it's no wonder Ra's thinks I'm alive."

"So then what do we do about the league?"

"Maseo is actually in the League, and he's been giving me information on what they're up to. He can make sure Ra's knows it's not really me as the Arrow, and hopefully that'll be enough to get him to believe I'm dead once and for all."

"How is he going to do that? Besides that, if he's a member, how do you know you can even trust him?"

"I know him from the 5 years I was missing."

"So he was on the island with you too?"

"Not really."

"You're always so vague about your time on the island. At first it was mysterious and somewhat attractive...now it's just annoying."

Oliver simply smiled, and began to walk back over to the cabin.

"Just because you can't be the Arrow doesn't mean you can't go back and be there for your sister."

"There is no going back," Oliver said, and walked back towards the cabin.

* * *

"There is no going back," Thea shouted as she roundhouse kicked a would-be mugger. "This is too awesome to be able to just go back to being a normal girl. Not to mention I look really awesome in this suit."

Thea took a moment to inspect herself, and her enemy took advantage of the distraction to rush at her. Suddenly an arrow pierced the mugger's shoulder and he fell to the ground, defeated once and for all.

"You need to pay more attention," Roy said as he lowered his bow.

"I knew he was there."

"Uh-huh."

"Who asked for your help anyways?"

"Don't get mad at me. I'm just trying to look after my girlfriend," Roy said.

They stared at each other awkwardly for a moment before Roy attempted to recover.

"...I mean, not like my _girlfriend_, but like you're my friend who is a girl...and..."

Roy gave up and simply walked away towards the motorcycles.

"Ouch," the would-be victim said as Roy walked past.

"Go home," Roy snapped in reply.

He met Laurel, who had hung back to look after their vehicles since there was only the one mugger.

"You know you could just tell her you still have feelings for her," Laurel said, leaning on her own motorcycle.

"I don't want to complicate things."

"You mean you think _she_ doesn't want to complicate things. But you won't know for sure unless you talk to her about it."

"About what?" Thea said, arriving just in time to turn the conversation awkward again.

"Nothing. Laurel's just putting her nose in other people's business and-"

Suddenly arrows pierced through each of the engines on the motorcycles, knocking Laurel and her motorcycle over due to the sudden force. Thea immediately drew and shot at what seem to be shadows flickering on the rooftops. Roy glanced around quickly, waiting for a clear shot to present itself.

It doesn't.

The shadows stop flickering just long enough for 4 members of the League of Assassins to drop down next to them and draw their swords. Thea attempted to draw her bow once again, but had to block a sword swing with her bow instead. Roy quickly threw a knife at one target to his left and attacked the League member in front of him, while a third member rushed from behind. Laurel finally was able to jump back on her feet, used the Canary Cry to distract everyone, and guided Roy and Thea out of the close quarters combat. Thirty seconds later one of the members stomped on the device to silence the shriek, leaving a dull ringing in their ears.

Roy drew his bow and took down one League member with an arrow to the leg, but the others deflected the arrows from him and Thea as they charged. Thea ran out of arrows by the time they arrived, but at least now it was an even fight. Thea deflected a sword using her bow, Roy rolled under a wide swing, and Laurel blocked her opponent with one of her tonfas and quickly struck with the other. The three of them hold their own for a few moments before Laurel is struck with the hilt of her opponent's sword, knocking her down. He then turned swiftly and did a sweeping kick to trip Roy, and soon both him and Roy's opponent had him pinned with a sword to his throat while Thea cried out helplessly. All of them stood there, waiting for the killing blow on Roy.

"What are you waiting for?" Roy asked, trying to hold back the fear in his voice. One of the members crouched down and pulled the hood and mask off of Roy, revealing his identity for certain.

"It's not him," the member said, and then the sword was taken off Roy's throat. They calmly walked over to their injured man, and helped him limp away from the scene; leaving Team Arrow frozen with confused looks on their faces.

"We lost, didn't we?" Thea asked.

"Oh yeah," Roy said, rubbing his throat to clear the sensation of the blade that was just there.

"So then why did they just take off like that?" Laurel asked.

"Who cares, let's just go before they change their minds," Thea said.

They abandoned the motorcycles and began the long walk back to the lair, with Roy putting his mask and hood back on. Halfway to the lair, they come across a large crowd surrounding a stage with a woman standing at the podium. Every news station had cameras pointed at the stage as the woman continued what sounded like an acceptance speech:

"Thank you again for placing your faith in me to return our city to it's former glory. The rise of these so called 'super-criminals' have left an undeniable shock to us citizens who are simply trying to live a normal life. These criminals tore down our homes and businesses with earthquakes, amasses an army with inhuman strength, and used fear and intimidation on the most vulnerable citizens here in the Glades. That is why I wanted to humbly accept this honor here at the Glades; to show you all that you are not forgotten, and will no longer have to live in fear!"

She pauses for a moment to allow the crowd to cheer and clap before continuing.

"I am not the only one who has taken it upon themselves to help the Glades. My predecessors labeled them 'vigilantes' and wasted valuable police resources and man-power in trying to arrest the _heroes_ who have been so intricate in protecting the Glades and, this city for that matter. They've placed their lives on the line every night alongside our esteemed police force to do what they can to help the people. I think it is time we stop trying to arrest these allies and instead embrace their presence and work along side them to stop the real criminals in this city!"

People clapped and cheered while Team Arrow backed into the alley unsure of the direction the city was about to take.


	7. A New Path

Karina leaned against her antique desk as she soaked in the sunlight through the windows of her office. Well, it wasn't just a room she was taking in, but a full fledged political office: mayor of Starling City. Karina walked up to the window and looked over the city. She watched absently as cars turned the corner around the building. People, not quite like ants at this height but still far enough where she couldn't recognize faces, scurrying along the side walk, the occasional few breaking ranks and running across the street when the traffic opened up for just a few seconds. She thought about how everyone seemed to look the same while her life has changed so dramatically. And all because she saw an opportune moment to take a stand.

There was a knock at her door and her assistant entered immediately, not waiting to be invited.

"Ray Palmer is here to see you," she relayed in a shy tone.

"Show him in," Karina commanded.

Her assistant nodded, disappeared behind the door momentarily, and reappeared beckoning the businessman to enter.

"I see you're still taking it all in. Congratulations by the way," Ray Palmer said as he strode into the room and joined her at the window.

"I guess I didn't need your campaign contributions after all," Karina said. "Although I think having your public support was undoubtedly an asset; and for that I am grateful."

"Honestly, I feel like it was the other way around. Your reputation as the savior of Starling City preceded you; I was just joining the bandwagon as they say. And, as a result, Palmer Technologies has received a big boost in public relations and in our stock."

"Thank you," Karina said, stepping away from the window and assumed her throne behind the desk. "And it is that "win-win" partnership that I wanted to talk to you about."

"Sure, I suppose. What did you have in mind?" Ray asked, taking the seat across from her.

"For starters the broadband internet infrastructure. I mean some of the suburb neighborhoods are okay, but many of those in the Glades and other less...fortunate... areas barely were able to restore electricity since the Quake, let alone get decent wifi. I figured the city could partner with Palmer Technologies to provide the technological infrastructure at the schools and libraries and afterwards spread that network into the neighborhoods. _Then_, once the ground work is laid out, we can use those lines to set up cameras and gunshot detectors in the areas with the most crime to help the police and their allies do their jobs more effectively."

"While I am 100 percent behind in helping allof Starling City enter the 21st century, I think people will react with concern regarding the city monitoring their movement around the city."

"Really?"Karina contested. "I think with all that has happened, the people will welcome the city finally stepping up to help ensure their safety."

"Let me put it another way," Ray corrected. "I'm not sure if _I_ am comfortable with the idea of the city monitoring my every move."

"I understand you billionaire types enjoy your privacy," Karina acquiesced. "Tell you what: let's just start with updating the technological infrastructure and then we can discuss the rest when the time comes. Deal?"

Karina held her hand out expectantly.

"Deal," Ray said as he shook her hand.

* * *

"So then that's it?! He's just going to stay there and hide?" Thea fumed.

"That was what he said," Diggle reaffirmed.

"It figures," Laurel scoffed. "Five years on a deserted island and he still chooses to run away when things start to become real."

"Well he did have a point," Felicity countered. "As long as Ra's thinks he is still dead then he will have no reason to go after Thea anymore. He satiated his bloodlust for now."

"Tell that to the 4 League members that nearly took us out the other night," Roy countered.

"Of course you would agree with him," Laurel sneered. "He has you wrapped around his finger like every other girl he's met before sleeping with them. Don't worry though, when he leaves you after getting what he wanted you'll know where we're coming from.

"Ouch," Thea winced. "Don't you think that was a little harsh?"

Laurel looked over and saw Felicity was turning away, trying to hide the well of tears building up in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Felicity," Laurel deflated. "I only said that because, obviously, that's what happened to me. I didn't mean to take out my anger on you."

"It's fine," Felicity mumbled and wiped away a tear.

"Look it doesn't matter," Diggle interjected. "Oliver made his choice. You three have managed without him so far. With Felicity and I back we should be able to take on whatever comes our way."

"Does that mean I'm officially part of the team?" Thea pleaded.

The three of them shared glances with each other, unsure of who should speak. Roy then stepped forward and held out his hand.

"Welcome to Team Arrow."

Thea brushed past his hand and hugged him tightly, causing Roy's cheeks to warm as he blushed. He bolted to the side to hide his reaction as the others came in to congratulate her. Felicity was the only one to question the decision.

"What about Oliver? He wouldn't want his sister to be in danger. I agreed to let her help you two while Diggle and I were gone, but now..."

"Oliver chose to leave, so he doesn't get a say anymore," Thea interrupted. "I want to do this. So much that I'd probably do it even without your guys' help."

"It's better if we stick together," Roy affirmed.

Felicity looked over at Diggle, who simply stared back without indicating who's side he was on. Felicity let out a defeated sigh, and Thea again rushed up to hug her in excitement. An alarm rang in the lair, signaling a major crime in progress was reported on the police band.

"Looks like we got some action," Felicity declared as she approached her computer console. "Bank robbery suspects fleeing from police with automatic weapons heading south on Niles."

"Suit up, everyone," Roy ordered.

The squad of vigilantes arrived at an abandoned building where the armed robbers were cornered by two patrol cars. They paired up and moved to opposite sides of the warehouse, moving carefully to avoid the attention of the police. They infiltrated the building, and each pair began to clear the rooms on each side, until the all met once again at the last, and largest, room where they could hear voices.

"Now what are we gonna do? There's only one door," Thea asked.

"I say we break down the door and take them out before they know what hit them," Laurel suggested.

"Negative, the police reported 4 armed robbers," Felicity stated over the comms. "You might get one or two, but then the others will catch on and then..._bam!_ Dead Team Arrow."

"Not if I use my Canary Cry...oh wait, that got busted last time, huh," Laurel recalled.

"Well that doesn't matter," Thea affirmed. "I'm pretty fast; Roy and I could probably take out 2 each..."

"But the door isn't big enough to let us both have a clear shot of the room," Roy corrected.

"So then what, we're just gonna stand out here until they get bored and come out on their own?"

"No, but if you just let me think for a second..."

"Shh!" Diggle hissed as he pointed towards the hallway they just came from. They heard footsteps, and they drew their weapons to face what was coming. Then a patrol officer, weapon also raised, turned the corner and came face to face with the vigilantes.

"Fre- oh it's you guys," she deduced. "I'm glad it's you and not them. I thought I was gonna be a lit up for sure."

There was a small beep as Roy turned on the voice changer.

"What're you doing here alone, officer...?"

"...Perez," she answered. "Officer Hess and I cornered the robbers into this building, and we were waiting for SWAT. We just got a call from dispatch saying they were being held up at a protest in Castlefall, so back-up wasn't coming. We rock-paper-scissors who was going to go in and who was going to try and cover the exits, and here I am. What're you guys doing standing here?"

"We were just finalizing out plan to breach the room."

"Any way I can help out?"

They all avoided eye contact, unsure of how to break it to the officer they had no clue what they were going to do. That was, until Roy remembered how he and Oliver had breached a similar situation before.

"You can stay here and cover the door in case they try to escape. We'll split up into pairs again and then use our explosive arrows to breach the walls on either side, giving us the element of surprise."

"Got it."

Roy signaled for the others to break into pairs as before. Once in position, Felicity counted down so Roy and Thea shot their explosive arrows at the same time to breach the walls. From two vantage points they each took out two armed robbers with no problem, while Diggle and Laurel ran in to remove their weapons and stolen goods from their reach. Roy shouted the all clear, and Officer Perez came in.

"I'm glad Mayor Sparshott gave us the okay to work with you otherwise this conversation would have been much more awkward," Officer Perez grinned.

"Happy to be of assistance."

"I get to go back home to my kids; thanks to all of you."

* * *

Karina once again loomed over the city at the end of her first and very long day as Mayor. She had made so many decisions with regards to public safety, finances, infrastructure like she had with Ray Palmer. One thing she hadn't yet made a decision on was her old position as superintendent of schools. She thought about who was best to appoint to her former position. She knew Paul Weaver had the most experience as a school board member, and he seemed like a decent guy. But she always had fun hanging out with Diana Fletcher on the charity events, and she volunteered to fundraise for her before Palmer pledged his support. Maybe she would give Diana a call...


	8. Fractures

_Our top story tonight, while the protests that dominated the city streets have been mollified with the election of Mayor Sparshott, another quiet but strong movement has begun in this city. In response to the sudden increases in municipal taxes and fees, the city's wealthiest citizens are saying enough is enough and have begun a campaign of attack ad in almost every medium: radio, full page newspaper ads, even on our very own TV station. While most people have ignored their initial arguments of taxing the rich will prevent businesses from hiring, they have started to gain traction with criticism on her appointments to key positions in the city, such as school superintendent Diana Fletcher, who has made some controversial decisions regarding the selection of religious, specifically Christian, books which highlights creationist viewpoints and states scientists have not come to any consensus regarding evolution._

_They move on to criticize her lack of response to allegations of police brutality during the protests against the previous mayor, and at the rallies in support of Mayor Sparshott. Many have claimed to be the victim of unlawful use of force and arrests. Lastly, not only are the wealthiest citizens beginning to clamor against the mayor, but the families that reside in the temporary housing established on city properties after the earthquake two years ago. Many have received notices to vacate due to the mayor's plans to expand other offices and personnel._

_Despite these criticisms, polls show the mayor still has broad support, and the mayor's spokesperson has stated that the period of transition will be difficult, but will ultimately improve the lives of citizens in the long term. In other news, there have been reports of strange incidents occurring all over Central City…_

* * *

"How can I help detective?" the Arrow asked through a device to disguise his voice. He and the rest of Team Arrow felt strange walking so brazenly to the police after having to run from them for so long.

"We have a heavily armed group in the abandoned night club," Detective Lance reported. "This guy calling himself the 'Mayor' has been providing guns and armor piercing rounds that have been taking out my men. I want to make sure this goes down without having to lose anymore."

"What's the name of the club?"

"The Nile over in the Glades; it's been abandoned ever since the 'quake. My plan is to have my men surround the building, and you and your...sidekicks? Whatever you call them, you guys can rush in there with us to make sure none of them escape."

Thea and Laurel scoffed at the mention of the word sidekicks. Roy held back the urge to laugh, but knew how they felt. He was Oliver's "sidekick" not too long ago.

"I don't think so. If we all go in there together that will only lead to a firefight for hours, and too many dead on both sides."

"So what do you suggest then?"

Roy stood there silently, unsure of what the best course of action was.

"If you don't mind, _boss_," Diggle chuckled beneath his new mask. "I suggest we have the police form a perimeter on the outside of the building, and we can work together to flush them out a few at a time."

"What about you guys? I don't want you to end up dead either," Lance cautioned, looking over at Laurel.

"We can handle ourselves," Laurel reassured.

"You better. Well, if that's the plan then I'll round up my men and see you over there in an hour."

* * *

Lance gave a nod to the team, and then eyed the Arrow before he drove off in the squad car.

"I could've handled it," Roy fumed inside the van. "Lance asked _me_ what the plan was. If you just gave me one more minute then Lance wouldn't think somethings up."

"What do you mean?" Diggle defended.

"When Oliver was the Arrow, he used to come up with the plans and tell Lance what to do. Now he's going to think something is up."

"Roy, he already knows you're not the same Arrow. I mean, you and Oliver aren't exactly twins. Not only that, but Arsenal has suddenly turned into a girl who we call Speedy. I'd be surprised if he didn't know who all of us really are."

"He's got a point, Roy," Thea pointed out.

Roy looked over at Laurel, who nodded in affirmation as well. He sighed as his head cleared up.

"Sorry, Diggle. I just get so caught up in trying to be the same Arrow Oliver was, but I'll never be as good as he was in coming up with plans, or leading you guys."

"Oliver may have always had a plan, but he wasn't always the best at leading. He always just kind of did what he wanted and then asked us to go along with it. That's why he's half-way around the world, and you took his place as the Arrow."

"Now that you boys have finished making up, how about we flesh out a little more details to that plan?" Thea proposed.

"Well we put Roy in that suit to try and scare the criminals," Diggle said. "We need to start using that fear to our advantage and get them to believe the Arrow is more than just a vigilante in a suit."

"Again, what _exactly_ are we doing?"

Music blared inside the Nile. Weapons boxes sat in front of the bar instead of stools. Ammo filled the bowls that used to serve peanuts, and the patrons lounged all throughout, turning the whole club into a VIP section. Xavier Reed sat in front of a table, counting money from the sales of the last few days. He paused when the music changed to a song he didn't particularly like.

"Change that stupid ass song!" He barked and started his count over again.

The music remain unchanged, and he once again ordered to have the music changed. After his orders were ignored a second time he stood up, and walked over to the man nearest to the stereo system.

"Didn't you hear me? I said change the damn song!"

"Man, you came all the way here, why don't you change it? I don't get why you're the one in charge anyways."

"You're wondering why I'm in charge? I'm the Mayor ain't I? That means I was elected to run this shit."

"Nobody voted for your ass."

"You see this?" Xavier said, holding up a wad of bills. "Every dollar someone brings in to this club is a vote of who gets to run it. Since I'm the only one bringing in any money then I get to run it. Now, CHANGE THE DAMN SONG!"

Xavier pulled out a pistol and hit the man with the butt of the gun. Xavier loomed over the man, waiting to strike again if he did not comply; but further violence was no longer required. The man stood up and trudged towards the stereo system. The Mayor sat down to resume his count when suddenly the power went out, leaving the patrons shrouded in darkness.

"This dumbass. I said change the song not trip the damn breaker!"

A red-orange flame streaked across the room and the fire arrow embedded itself into the table, setting the money he was counting aflame.

"What the f-"

Another fire arrow streaked from a different angle, and landed in one of the ammunition piles. The heat of the flames caused some of the ammo to discharge, causing bullets to shoot in any which way.

The patrons started ducking for cover, and a few of them headed for the exits where the SCPD was ready to take them into custody. The fire arrows continued to fly; Xavier shot the pistol in the directions he thought he saw the arrows come from, but they seemed to be coming from everywhere. More ammo was set off, and now he was the last one left inside the club as it began to catch fire. The sprinklers kicked on, the smoke detectors running on battery power.

The arrows ceased their flight, and Xavier stepped out from behind his cover as he thought about which exit to make a run for. He heard a thump behind him, and he turned and saw a blonde woman in a mask before suddenly losing consciousness.

* * *

"Well that went better than expected," Lance congratulated.

"It was a team effort," Roy noted, glancing over at his teammates.

"Either way, good work. And thank you."

Karina clicked on a menu and thought about what feed to watch next now that the raid was done. The infrastructure upgrades that Palmer Technologies provided made it easy enough to network and monitor the city's surveillance system, including any police dashboard or body cameras, as well as any laptop, smartphone, and tablet using the city government's new subsidized broadband internet. Suffice to say, she had half the city's camera's at her disposal. Which is what made choosing another feed so hard. There were simply too many choices...


	9. Smudged in Grey

"_Good evening ladies and gentlemen of the press. Mayor Sparshott would like to say she regrets not being able to be present herself, but she is of course busy organizing the restoration of the city after the attacks over the last 3 years. Mayor Sparshott would also like to say that she has heard the call of the citizens in protests, and asks that people show patience to allow her major reforms to take effect and benefit the public before taking action. She would like to highlight that her investment in the city's communications infrastructure, which was funded by a generous contribution by Palmer Technologies, has already provided broadband internet to residents and schools that never had access to high speed internet before. She would also like to note that the infrastructure upgrades have also helped to connect the city's police and other emergency personnel, so collaboration and response time have improved dramatically. That means the city has become much safer than ever before. Now, I will allow a few minutes to accept questions."_

"_**What is the Mayor's response to allegations that her appointments in key city positions have been out of nepotism rather than merit?"**_

"_Mayor Sparshott only has the best interest of this city at heart, and she has placed those she trusts and knows will do a good job to help restore our city. She has only appointed those who also have the city's best interests at heart."_

"_**Many of the contractors the mayor has hired are known affiliates of organized crime syndicates in Gotham, and there has been criticism that the bidding process was shortened and not disclosed to the public. Was Mayor Sparshott intentionally attempting to hide those connections to Gotham mobsters, and if so, why?"**_

"_As you had mentioned, there was a formal and independent bidding process that had occurred. Any companies that were chosen were due to their bid to complete reconstruction work in a cost and time efficient manner. Any alleged connections to organized crime in another city had nothing to do with the selected companies."_

"_**Many protesters have claimed excessive force has been used by the police force, which has notably doubled in size. Is the mayor choosing quantity of police over quality policing?"**_

"_We all know that sometimes what starts off as a protest can very much lead to something more dangerous. All the police are well trained and only use force to protect the greater population. If force has been increasingly used it is because the protesters are have becoming increasingly aggressive, and the police are simply defending themselves."_

"_**What about the claims that the protesters are simply defending themselves from the excessive force by police?"**_

"_I'm sorry, but that is all the time we have for questions. Thank you all for attending."_

"_**Wait, what about my question?"**_

"_That was Starling city mayoral spokesperson Leia Cloud who has abruptly ended the news conference. We now go to field correspondent Chloe Sullivan who is reporting from a protest outside of city hall. Chloe, what is the reaction of the crowd right now?"_

"_Thanks Michael. Protesters were crowding together to watch the press conference on phones, and tablets, and you could see the disappointment and anger build up the further into the conference. People have begun to shout and show some of their resentment at what they feel has been just outright mismanagement by Mayor Sparshott. Riot police are already present and watching to protests. It looks like Captain Lance of the SCPD is walking through, let's see if he will answer any questions. Captain Lance, can I have a moment of your time?"_

"No, you may not," Lance refused without missing a step. He continued to walk the perimeter of the protesters a few times, eying the rising anger of the crowd. He checked a text message, and then he walked into an alleyway where the Arrow was waiting.

"How is it out there, detective?" the Arrow inquired.

"It's not looking good. The mayor's spokesperson did a pretty crappy job of calming everybody down. She practically passed the blame on to them."

"We're here to help in any way we can."

"I really appreciate all the collaboration we've been able to do these last couple of months, but my guys should be able to handle it. Besides, I doubt shooting arrows into the crowd is going to help much."

"Point taken. We'll hang back."

"If any freaks or assassins show up, we'll call you."

"Take care of yourself, detective." the Arrow encouraged.

The Arrow then shot his bow and zip-lined onto the roof of the building.

* * *

"What did my dad say?" Laurel asked when Roy joined them on the roof.

"He said to sit tight, and that if we went down there then we might just make them angrier," Roy replied.

"I told you so," Felicity boasted. "But no, all of you guys just want to go around kicking butt while us normal people get together and use our right to free speech instead."

"But you've heard on the news how things have gotten out of hand the last few days. 18 people ended up in the hospital," Roy countered.

"But my dad wasn't in charge at those other protests, but he is here now."

"I'm sure your dad is better at handling this kind of stuff, but we're already here so we might as well stick around for a little while," Thea placated.

"_Tsk_, Of course you would take his side," Laurel scoffed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Thea puffed.

Both she and Roy made eye contact and then looked away awkwardly. Laurel let out a sigh and rolled her eyes.

"Never mind. I'll go check on the crowd from over there."

Laurel walked over to the ledge and began to scan the crowd for anything out of the ordinary. Thea and Roy shared another awkward glance before they too went to separate corners; leaving Felicity and Diggle at the center.

"Felicity maybe you should check on -" Diggle suggested.

"I was just about to say the same to you," Felicity confirmed.

They nodded, and split up to help their teammates cope with the cat that was unceremoniously ripped out of the bag. Felicity went to Thea while Diggle went to talk to Roy.

"Anything you want to say?" Diggle coaxed.

"No," Roy pouted.

Diggle smiled. It was funny to see such a tough vigilante react to this kind of relationship stuff. Given how many times they go out and risk their lives almost every night, it was easy to forget how young he really was.

"You two had to have known the tension between you and Thea is pretty thick," Diggle addressed the awkward subject. "I mean, all those sidelong glances, the laughing, the arguing..."

"Okay I get it; you're right. I still feel something for her," Roy confessed. "But she's made it clear that she doesn't want to start things up again, so she obviously doesn't care about me like that anymore."

"Or maybe it's obvious that she cares about you, but she's just scared to get hurt again," Diggle corrected. "Either way, you two can't keep putting off that conversation; no matter how awkward it feels."

Roy nodded silently before he looked over at Thea and Felicity talking at the other end; presumably having the same conversation he and Diggle were having.

"Uh, guys. Somethings going on down there," Laurel beckoned, drawing them back to the reason they were there in the first place.

They all gathered around her and looked down into the crowd. Protesters were lined up directly in front of the police in riot gear, taunting them and holding signs directly in front of their faces. The officers in the front were Captain Lance was present were holding firm, but the remainder of the unit behind them were shouting threats and loading launchers with tear gas canisters. They could see Lance was shouting at the units to stand down and to stop provoking the protesters.

* * *

"I said shut the hell up and stay back!" Lance ordered his men behind the front lines.

"_Captain Lance, status report_,_"_ the police chief stated over the radio.

"Tensions are increasing, but so long as our men hold firm we should be able to contain it," Lance radioed back, glaring at one officer who was particularly unruly.

"_Negative. Order the crowd to disperse. If they do not comply, use tear gas and order your men to move-in."_

"Sir, I respectfully disagree. That will only cause an even bigger incident and we've already had two other incidents just a few days ago. I now you are new to your position however-"

"_I repeat, negative. The mayor wants to end these protests once and for all. Order your men to disperse the protesters and move on to the other protests in the Glades and the South End."_

Lance stared at the radio in disbelief, contemplating what to do.

"_Either carry out my order or I will find someone who will."_

"Yes, sir," Lance grumbled. "Over and out."

"Would you like us to move-in, sir?" an officer next to him asked.

"No, hold your position. Stay off the radio and spread the word to the rest of the men to hold their positions. I'll take the heat from the chief when he finds out later."

The officer nodded and ran off to tell the remaining officers.

Suddenly, a tear gas canister was discharged into the back of the crowd, causing the protesters to charge forward into the police to avoid the smoke. The police in the front held them back with the riot shields, and Lance was yelling at the crowd through a bull-horn not to panic, and then went back onto the radio to order his men to stand down. Both sides ignored him, and the officers in the back pushed past the riot officers and began to hit the protesters with their batons. Lance started to hear gunshots amidst the violence too. Protesters in turn defended themselves with the picket signs, rocks, glass bottles, anything lying on the ground that could be used as a weapon.

Lance took a few steps back from the carnage and dialed Felicity on the his phone.

"I hope you guys are still here! It's gotten out of control and I need your help. I hear gunshots but I can't tell where it's coming from. Stop them before anyone gets killed," Lance pleaded.

"We're on it," Felicity assured through the line.

Lance heard whistles and then saw pairs of Team Arrow zip-line into the town square at 2 different locations.

* * *

Thea and Laurel landed at the far side of the crowd, searching frantically for where the gun shots seemed to be coming from. The protesters made room, shouting at Speedy and Black Canary to save them, and pointed towards a trio of officers, one with a shotgun and two on either side holding their sidearms out. The one with the shotgun shot a bean bag round into the back of a protester running away, and the other two shot rubber bullets indiscriminately into the crowd. Laurel could've sworn she saw them smiling as they did it.

"Hey, cool it!" Black Canary shouted.

"I'm just doing my job! You saw how they all came at us at once," one officer defended.

"And the one you shot in the back, what did he do?" Speedy pressed.

"He didn't go home fast enough, that's what. Now are you masks gonna help us or not?"

"That depends, are you going to stop being such an asshole?" Speedy mocked.

"You little bitch," the officer said and raised his shotgun.

Speedy drew and shot her bow, knocking the shotgun out of his hand. The other two raised their sidearms but Black Canary had already rushed in, struck with one tonfa to knock the gun away, and threw her other tonfa to stun the other officer before he fired. Speedy struck multiple punches at her target and flipped him over her shoulder, throwing him to the ground. She then ran to take on the third police officer who was only stunned.

Black Canary struck her target with her single tonfa, dropped to the ground, and used a scissors kick to bring him down. She rolled forward and used a choke hold to cut off the blood flow until he lost consciousness. Speedy struck the last officer with her bow, causing him to drop the gun, stomped on his foot, and then used her bow again to trip him when he stepped backwards on the other foot. She jumped on top of him and was about to continue punching, but the officer raised his hands in front of his face and begged for mercy. Speedy stood up from the officer, who then ran back towards the police vehicles right in front of city hall.

The surrounding protesters ran up and thanked Speedy and Black Canary for saving them from the police. Laurel and Thea ignored them to watch the last officer run into city hall and noticed a single light was on in one of the offices at the top. They saw the silhouette of Mayor Sparshott, watching everything unfold before her.

* * *

"What happened out there? It seemed like it all just fell apart in an instant," Diggle asked Captain Lance as they all met up in the alley afterwards.

"The chief ordered over the radio to end the protest. I tried to stop it, but some of the officers were a little too trigger happy," Lance explained.

"Yeah we know, we had to go in and stop some of them from going open season on them," Laurel affirmed.

Lance let out a long sigh.

"I've been telling the chief for months that we've been hiring some really questionable people recently, but he said something about people deserve a second chance, the mayor wants to show she is providing jobs, and all kinds of political crap. I've tried my best to turn them into real cops, but the chief has been putting them out into field before they're really ready."

"Hence the trigger happy cops," Thea pieced together.

"Exactly. Thanks for helping to reel in some of my guys. I wish it could've gone differently, but it is what it is."

"Anytime, detective," Roy replied.

"Captain Lance?" An officer called out from the mouth of the alleyway.

"Duty calls. You be careful," Lance reminded Laurel as he walked back into the square. "What is it, sergeant?"

"Sorry sir, but they gave me strict orders," the sergeant began.

"Sorry for what?" Lance wondered.

"I'm placing you under arrest for inciting a riot, disturbing the peace, and aiding and abetting vigilantes," the sergeant answered, placing Lance into cuffs.

"WHAT?! But I was right there trying to _keep_ the peace."

"Like I said, I have orders."

Lance was led into a transport, where several other officers were sitting in cuffs. He noticed that all of them were men he trained, and had followed his orders to hold firm instead of engage.

"I'm sorry, guys," was all Lance could muster saying before the truck doors sealed them in.


	10. Broken Arrow

"I'm here to see my client, Quentin Lance," Laurel declared as soon as she arrived to Starling City Police Department booking.

"We don't have anyone in custody by the name," the duty officer yawned. _It's three in the goddamn morning, how the hell does this bitch have so much energy?_

"That can't be right. He was taken into custody last night in the riots. Check your logbook," Laurel ordered.

"Lady, I've been here since 8 o'clock yesterday; I think I would've remembered booking my own captain. All we got in last night were a couple of drunk and disorderly and then a handful of rioters who were looting," the duty officer countered.

"Well then where did they take the rest of the people they arrested? There were at least half a dozen cops that got taken in."

"They probably let them go before they even got here," the duty officer dismissed. "I mean, who would actually be able to keep that many cops in custody? For someone who barges in acting like they know everything, you sure know a whole lot of nothing."

Laurel stared him down, imagining coming back as Black Canary and kicking his ass to make sure that he really didn't know anything. Instead she took a deep breath and then walked away before she changed her mind. Once outside she pulled out her phone and tried to call her father, but his phone went straight to voicemail.

"Hey dad, I know I've already left like five messages, but I just got to holding and they don't have any record of you coming in and you weren't at home when I checked an hour ago. Please just call me as soon as you get this," she implored.

Laurel jumped into her car, and then called Felicity.

"Laurel I already told you, I can't just hack your dad out of jail without making him a fugitive," Felicity objected before Laurel had a chance to speak. "And I can't really hack to make him a new identity...Although I guess I kind of know how I could do that...but it would be really really hard and I don't feel like hacking through all those agencies to-"

"Felicity!" Laurel interrupted. "My dad wasn't in jail. The duty officer said he's been there all night and he never saw my dad or any of the other cops come back to the station."

"So then where is he?"

"I don't know. I was hoping you could hack into the police database and let me know if there is any record of where they are keeping him."

"I haven't had to hack the police in a while since they've been so Team Arrow friendly these days. They've just been telling us everything we need to know. Buuuuut I did keep a back door just in case—huh, that's weird…" Felicity trailed off.

"What? Is it my dad?" Laurel gasped.

"No, that back door I was talking about. It's gone. It looks like they recently upgraded their whole system."

"So how long will it take for you to get in?"

Laurel heard rushed typing over the phone.

"Felicity?" Laurel called out to her, but the only response was more typing. "FELICITY!"

"Sorry! I...don't know if I can even get in. This level of encryption is, like, Palmer Technologies kind of level. Needless to say, without someone just giving me a password it's practically impossible for me to get in."

"Great," Laurel sighed. "Alright, I'm heading back."

* * *

"So what do we do now?" Laurel asked Team Arrow once she was back in the lair.

"Are you sure you looked everywhere?" Roy asked.

"I looked at his place, AA meetings, even the bars he likes to go to; I didn't find him anywhere."

"We all saw him get picked up with the rest of his men, so they got him somewhere," Diggle affirmed.

"Yeah but where else would they keep him? I'm sure somebody would've notice a new prison being built or something," Thea wondered.

"Maybe that's just it," Roy proposed. "Maybe they are in the jail but they just didn't put them on the books because the mayor doesn't want anybody to know she is locking up her own cops."

"But why lock them up?" Laurel articulated. "Why not just fire them instead of keeping them as secret prisoners?"

"Well it's not like she's exactly popular right now," Felicity responded. "Plus with the police union it's pretty hard to fire a cop even when they've actually done something wrong."

"The real answer is we don't even know if she really _is_ holding them or not," Diggle refocused the team. "And Felicity can't hack the security feed to find out for sure."

"I just want to make it clear it's not just that _I_ can't hack into the security feed, _no one_ can hack into the security feed," Felicity argued.

"Don't worry, Felicity. We know it has nothing to do with your skills as a hacker," Thea consoled.

"Damn right it doesn't," Felicity pouted as she sipped a soda through a straw.

"So then what's the plan?" Roy solicited.

"I say we just barge into the jail and check for my dad and the other cops," Laurel puffed.

"And what if they're not there? Then we just put ourselves and the guards at risk for no reason," Diggle countered.

"Well, what else are we going to do?"

"We could wait it out and see if any of them come home or have Roy check the streets for any word on the missing cops."

"The protests have the streets filled with so many rumors that it's hard to tell what's real and what's not," Roy pointed out. "I say we go in, but only a couple of us, just to find out if he's even in there. Once we know if and where in the jail he is, we call for back up and you help us bail them out."

"Okay, so who wants to go with me?" Laurel asked.

"Actually, I was thinking it would be better if Thea and I went in and you came in as backup," Roy corrected.

"You know this is a prison break and not a date, right?" Laurel warned.

"You know it's a recon mission before it's a prison break, right?" Thea shot back.

"Look, all I'm saying is that since it's your dad we're looking for, you might not be the most level headed. If we don't find him we need to be able to get out quick instead of turning the whole place apart."

Laurel took a moment to think about how earlier she wanted to beat the crap out of the duty officer to find out anything he might know.

"Alright," Laurel conceded. "But you tell me the second you find him; if you find him, I mean."

"Of course," Roy promised.

* * *

Roy and Thea looked down at the jail from an adjacent rooftop, counting the seconds in between guard patrols to find an opening long enough to zip-line into the yard without being noticed. They had been staring at the patrols for almost half an hour, but so far there wasn't any break in the rotation. Laurel's comment before about the mission being a date crossed Roy's mind, and he stole a couple of glances at Thea, who either didn't notice or was pretending not to. Either way, the signal was loud and clear. He shook his head to clear his thoughts of infatuation and went back to watching the guards.

"How much longer are they going to keep walking around the same way over and over again? Doesn't anyone ever take a break?" Thea thought aloud.

"It's a jail. Their whole job is to walk around and look like they're keeping watch," Roy replied. "Of course they don't actually keep watch. Not until someone gets hurt..."

Roy trailed off, realizing he was about to reveal a little more than he intended too. _I need to stop treating her like my girlfriend_, he thought. Despite how comfortable he felt around her, they just weren't at that level anymore.

"What happened to you?" Thea prodded, a look of concern on her face.

_God she __i__s beautiful._

"I was always in and out of juvy, either stealing someone's wallet or grabbing things from stores," Roy began. "I was on a first name basis with all the guards, and I always had a friend to watch my back because they were always getting into trouble like me. I figured the life of crime wasn't so bad, you know? A few years ago, right after I turned 18 I broke into someone's car to steal a purse some lady had left in her car. Naturally, I got caught like I always did. Only this time, since I was 18, the judge decided to sentence me to a month in jail. Teach me what a life of crime 'really cost you', he said. I figured a month aint nothing; just make some friends and hang out like before.

"My first night there, I was in line to get whatever they called dinner, and suddenly someone brushed past me and stabbed the guy in front of me like 5 or 6 times in his spine. Then they dropped the shiv at my feet and walked away like nothing happened. Turns out the guy who got stabbed owed him a pack of cigarettes for some...favors. Everyone knew it was gonna go down; the guy had been talking about it all day to anyone who would listen. The guards even knew, but didn't want to search the guy or his cell because it was going to break their routine, so they kept up with their patrol just like now. Anyways, after that night I swore to myself that I wouldn't choose that life. If I had to do something here or there to make rent or buy food, then I would, but I wasn't going to let myself get caught anymore. That's when I started to learn how to run like I do. I ended up really liking the running, so I kept stealing so I had something to run from. But then you came along, and suddenly I felt like I finally had something to run _to_. You gave me my first real hope that I didn't have to live life that way anymore."

Thea wiped away a tear that had fallen on his cheek, and held her hand there for just a moment. She slowly pulled her hand away, and turned back to face the jail. Roy touched his cheek where her hand just was and relished in the memory of her touch.

"Look, those two guards stopped to talk. Maybe they're about to go on a break or something," Thea choked, fighting back tears of her own.

They both stood at the edge of the rooftop, bows at the ready. They watched as the two guards engaged in conversation, and one motioned towards the inside of the nearest building. They then turned their backs to the pair of vigilantes and started walking towards the door.

"Let's go," Roy initiated.

Together, they shot their zip-line arrows into the building opposite of the jail and used the grappling motor to slow their descent. They couldn't slow their swing, so they reached the yard in a matter of seconds. As their legs hit the ground, they ran to keep the momentum from breaking their legs. They ran across the yard as quickly as they could to the door opposite of where the guards had disappeared into.

Roy took the lead into the building, bow drawn and ready for any surprises. _I really hate going in blind_, he thought as he swept his bow down one intersection after the other. Some prisoners were still awake despite (or maybe because of) the late hour and began to jeer at the pair of vigilantes as they passed the cells.

"Shut up!" Thea finally snarled as more and more woke up and joined in.

"I can't wait until they lock you up with the other pigs; then we can finally show you what it means to fail the city," a prisoner with barbed wire tattoos on his knuckles goaded.

"What did you say?" Thea retorted as she stopped.

"Why don't I do one better? Let me out and I'll _show_ you what I mean," the prisoner challenged.

"That's a good idea," Thea replied.

"What are you doing?" Roy questioned.

"Step back," was all Thea cautioned to both Roy and the prisoner. She fired an explosive arrow and blew the lock off the cell door.

"You're going to get us caught!" Roy cautioned. "All the noise these assholes are making, the guards will be on top of us any second. We don't have any time to waste."

"Duh," Thea echoed as she took a fighting stance.

The prisoner came charging out, shiv in hand, and swung widely at Thea's throat. Thea easily countered by grabbing on to his arm with one hand, uppercut with the other, and then stepped in and twisted in order to throw him over her shoulder. She had her bow drawn and pointed at his face by the time he hit the ground. The prisoner looked up at her in contempt and then raised his arms up.

"Great, you proved your point. Can we go now?" Roy puffed.

"That depends," Thea answered and then returned her attention to the prisoner at her feet. "You ready to show us where they're holding the cops?"

"Go to hell, bitch."

Thea shot an arrow into the prisoner's shoulder and quickly drew again.

"Ready?"

"Alright! Alright! I'll show you!" The prisoner relented.

Thea stepped back and let the prisoner slowly bring himself to a stand. Roy stared at her, dumbfounded.

"What?" Thea asked.

"Nothing. I guess ruthlessness just runs in your family," Roy observed.

"I like to call it practicality," Thea elaborated.

"I think that only makes it scarier."

The prisoner led them through another cell block, the laundry room, and then through yet another cell block. The further they went the more alert they became. They were both on edge at the lack of resistance they were coming across. Of course the prisoners were locked up in the cells, but they had not come across a single guard. Finally the prisoner led them to the entrance of the solitary confinement block. There was a guard kiosk situated next to the entrance, but it was unmanned.

"Here you go. Word has it they put all the cops in solitary to keep them safe from the rest of us," the prisoner imparted.

"Get lost," Roy commanded.

Without another word the prisoner took off running.

Roy reached up to his ear and switched on his comm.

"We think we found out where the cops are being held. Get ready to back us up," Roy reported.

"_Got it,"_ Diggle replied over the comm.

Roy went over to the guard kiosk and found a button underneath the panel to unlock the solitary confinement block. The screens for the security footage showed nothing but static.

"I found the buzzer to go in in, but the security feed is cut off so I can't tell who's inside," Roy mused.

"Well, just buzz me in and I'll hold the door open for you," Thea suggested.

_Something's not right_, Roy thought.

"Let's switch; maybe you can figure out the cameras or something," Roy replied.

"Fine, but don't expect much. The only thing I know how to use a computer for is my Instagram."

"More than me."

Thea went back to the kiosk, and began to push buttons to get the camera feed to come back on the screens. Roy went over the the doors for solitary, and Thea pushed the buzzer to let him in. Roy, bow in one hand, and slowly pulled open the door slowly with his other hand. In the small sliver Roy peeked inside and saw a row of SWAT police ready to fire. Roy tried to slam the door but there was a _thunk_ as a shotgun blast impacted the metal door, leaving a dent from the slug. Roy stumbled backwards from the door, regained his footing, and then kicked the door shut.

"Run! I'll distract them!" Roy shouted, as he ran to take cover behind the kiosk.

"What do you mean, let's get out of here together," Thea returned.

"They saw me, but maybe they don't know you're with me. Just go, I'll catch up."

"No!"

Roy groaned at her lack of cooperation and pushed her down into the kiosk floor out of sight just as the doors blew open. Roy shot an arrow at the SWAT police and ran off the opposite way they had come from. Thea held back a shout as the police ran past without noticing her to give chase. _Idiot!_ she cursed Roy silently in her head. She repeated that swear over and over again until she no longer heard footsteps in the hallway, and slowly raised her head to check if it was clear. With no police in sight, Thea made a bee-line for where Roy had run off too.

"Guys, get in here quick! Roy needs help!" Thea spewed into the comm.

"_Make sure Thea gets out," _Roy responded over the comm as well.

"_Just shut up, both of you. We're on our way,"_ Diggle answered.

Thea heard gunshots both over the comm and in the hallway ahead. Feedback noise was heard over the comm, and the gunshots stopped.

"Roy?" Thea beseeched as she stopped in her tracks; she could feel her heart doing to same.

She heard distant voices through the comm, and she held her breath to try and make them out.

"_...inally...ot...him..."_

"_...do...the body?"_ This one sounded louder and closer than before. There were also footsteps heard over the comm, also getting louder

"_Just take it to the morgue,"_ the first voice said, but much clearer due to being closer to the comm's range.

Thea held back a scream, dropping to her knees as the news began to sink in.

"_Thea, you need to get out of there,"_ Diggle advised over the comm. _"Laurel and I are in the yard, same one you and R- the same way you came in earlier."_

Thea stared at the doors in front of her, her eyes tearing through them. She imagined putting an arrow into every last person who was on the other side of those doors. Instead she stood up and ran towards the yard. She ran the fastest she ever had in her life, but it wasn't out of fear. What fueled her was the need for revenge, and until she got it that fuel would never run out.

* * *

"_Vigilantes...masks...heroes...Whatever you call them, one thing that is for certain is the relationship they have had with this city has changed dramatically in the last few months. Mayor Sparshott started off her first weeks in office applauding the vigilantes which have hid in the shadows, and then eventually considered them to be full on allies of the police. Now, with the most recent protests, they appeared to be allies no more. Exclusive Channel 52 News footage shows the vigilantes fighting the police head on during the protests. And now, less than 24 hours later we have received reports that the Arrow has been killed while attempting to break out prisoner's from the Starling City jail. These reports have yet to be confirmed, but we will continue to provide updates as we receive them."_

Oliver Queen closed the lid on the laptop Maseo had brought over to the small cabin in the woods. Oliver had asked his old friend to keep track of any news from Starling City, his curiosity getting the best of him despite his decision to stay away. It had been a week already since that report originally aired, but according to Maseo there still had been no real confirmation of the Arrow's demise. Maseo stood silently, waiting for some kind of response. But it was Katsu, who ended up breaking the tense silence.

"So what are you going to do, Oliver?" Katsu asked from her husband's side.

Oliver looked up, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Take me into town," Oliver finally spoke. "I have a plane I need to catch."


	11. Atavism

"_Last week there were reports that the vigilante known as the Arrow had been killed in the Starling City jail. As the mayor of Staring City, I thought it was best that I address these rumors which have circulated widely. It is with utter reluctance that I confirm the death of the "Arrow," who has now been identified as Roy Harper. This young man had a long history of criminal offenses, including petty theft and violent muggings. It is unclear what drove him to take on the persona of the "Arrow," or how he was able to outfit himself with such high end equipment; but we will investigate further and provide you with updates as we learn more. The identity of the other vigilantes are still unknown as of right now._

_I had previously been more accepting of the vigilantes' efforts because I thought they were trying to help make our city a better place. Recent events, however, seem to indicate that my trust has been misplaced. The vigilantes outright attacked police as they attempted to protect businesses and homes from a protest which escalated into a full on riot. Then again in the Starling City jail, Mr. Harper and another vigilante had broken in and attempted to free prisoners who were being held on charges based on the riots. The vigilantes were detected and attacked the police who responded to the break in and, unfortunately, Mr. Harper was killed as the police defended themselves. Another vigilante in a red hood escaped, and police are searching for that individual._

_Lastly, I would like to officially recant my invitation to work alongside the vigilantes, due to the aggressions they have shown towards the brave men and women of the SCPD who _truly_ protect this city. Instead, the police will investigate any and all crimes the vigilantes may have been involved in, and will bring them before the law to stand trial just like every criminal in this city. I will now take questions..."_

"Keep talking bitch, I'm still coming for your ass," Thea avowed as she turned off the TV in the lair. "Speaking of which, when are we going to take her out?"

Thea looked around, and everyone was making eye contact with each other except for her.

"We're not sure if now is such a good time to-" Diggle started.

"Are you freaking kidding me?!" Thea inflamed. "She kills a member of the team and we're just going to let her get away with it?"

"We don't know for sure if she is really behind it," Felicity explained. "In fact, we don't really know anything. I haven't been able to hack into _anything_ over at the city. I can't even go into the city school district to change anyone's grades, and that used to be the easiest thing to do as a hacker."

Everyone took a moment to look over at Felicity over her revelation.

"I mean I didn't change _my_ grades," Felicity continued. "I did charge a nice little fee to change other kids grades…"

"The point is, the best thing to do right now is to lay low until we get some more intel," Diggle summed up.

"I thought the point was we fight bad guys; and she is a bad guy!" Thea retorted.

"Look I know exactly what it feels like to want to get revenge for someone you love," Laurel sympathized. "When Sara was killed all I wanted to do was find her killer and return the favor. But as I trained with Ted I realized that Sara never wanted me to be consumed with killing like she had been. She joined up with you guys to make amends for all she had done, and I decided the best way to honor her memory was to pick up where she left off. Just think about what Roy would want you to do."

"It doesn't matter what Roy would want me to do because he isn't here! Now are you coming with me or not?"

Thea broke away from the group and made her way over to the suits to prepare to leave.

"Right now? It's the middle of the day," Diggle warned.

"That's never stopped us before," Thea shouted over her shoulder. She then stopped dead in her tracks at what she saw.

Oliver Queen was standing in front of the red suit as he reminisced outfitting the suit for Roy before Thea donned it. He slowly turned around, and Thea saw his face had a mixture of nostalgia and mourning. His hair had grown long, with a thick beard to match. He calmly walked up and gave her a hug.

"I'm sorry," Oliver whispered as he held his sister.

Tears fell from Thea's eyes as she hugged her brother tightly. She took a moment to feel the sadness of her loss and the joy of her brother's return. After a minute of letting the tears flow, she ended the embrace and took a step back. She then channeled the anger she felt right before he arrived and punched him in the face as hard as she could.

"Why weren't you here?!" Thea demanded. "He was always trying to live up to what he thought you were. If you were here then it would have been you and Roy going in, and you would have had him run and he'd still be alive!"

Everyone had gathered around them as well, and they all gave Oliver the same resentful stare. Oliver looked back up at the costume before addressing the team.

"I know I was gone-"

"You weren't gone Oliver," Diggle interrupted. "We found you, remember? We were right there in front of you, ready to bring you back here and continue what _you_ started. Instead you chose to stay, and all of us, Roy especially, decided to keep up the fight."

"That's why I'm here; I'm here to help save my city," Oliver defended.

"You can't just walk away and expect to call it your city," Laurel chided.

"You're right, I didn't mean to call it mine. It's our city and we need to start getting information so we can take down Mayor Sparshott before she does any more damage."

"Don't tell us what we need to do," Thea shot down.

"Will you people just listen to what I have to say for one second without tearing my head off?" Oliver pleaded.

"How about you go back to whatever rock you were hiding under and let us handle it," Thea dismissed.

Oliver let out a long sigh, and looked over at Felicity.

"Don't you have anything you want to say?" Oliver asked.

Felicity simply shook her head and walked back to the console. The others followed suit, each going their separate ways, leaving Oliver alone next to the costumes. He looked down feeling ashamed because he knew they were right. He left the city while it was in chaos to save his sister from the League of Assassins. But after he miraculously survived his encounter with Ra's al Ghul he realized something: this was a never ending battle. There was always going to be another threat to the city, another fight that will risk his life or the life of someone he loves, another day of pain and loss just like this one...and he simply grew tired of it.

Now that someone lost their life continuing the fight he gave up, it was time to do things differently. He walked up to the console, and Felicity turned to look at him, her face expressionless. _Since when did she become so hard to read?_ Oliver thought.

"Felicity, I need your help. Can you hack into-" Oliver started.

"Nope, can't hack into the mayor's office, I can't hack into the SCPD, I can't even hack into the damn library system!" Felicity snapped.

"Oookaaay," Oliver hesitated. "How come you can't hack into anything?"

Felicity rolled her eyes at him, a sore look on her face.

"Mayor Flaky did some kind of upgrade to the city's networking, and it's good enough to actually keep _me_ out. I mean, we're talking about someone who had a back door so big in their network I could have fit a jumbo jet through it no problem...digitally speaking of course. Why do I feel so dirty everytime I say something like that?"

"Maybe because you use the term 'back door.' Have you ever seen anything like this before?" Oliver refocused.

"I've seen some encryption at Palmer Tech that looks similar, although admittedly not _as_ good as they have over there."

"Can you figure out who is providing the encryption for the city?"

"That's easy. Most companies like to brag how good their encryption is so they plug a little bit of useless code which identifies who made the encryption," Felicity explained as she typed, her eyes lighting up again at having a computer task she can complete. "And it's from...Palmer Tech?"

"But you've hacked intel for us from Palmer Tech before. Why can't you do it now?"

"I work at Palmer Tech, remember? I didn't really have to hack, more like just, log in and get the information."

"So what you're saying is all we need to do is find someone with a password?"

"I guess so. But the Mayor has so much surveillance all over the city and she just hired practically an army of police who is loyal to her. She locked up all the ones who weren't, by the way. That's why Roy and Thea went into the jail; to bust out detective Lance," Felicity yapped.

"I think I have an idea..." Oliver trailed off. He gave Felicity a hug before whispering: "I missed you the most."

Oliver then ended the embrace just as quickly as he started it, and walked on up the stairs leading into the club. Felicity sat there, stupefied by the sudden show of affection. She then shook her head to clear it and called out: "Idea for what?"

* * *

Ray Palmer sat at his workbench, hunched over the neural link which, despite all his calculations and debugging, still didn't work! He thought that perhaps the dwarf star alloy could be used as a better conductor between himself and the suit, but even with his own vast wealth it cost him too much to simply waste it on an unconfirmed hunch. No, he needed to think about what was the real problem…

He heard a crash in the next room, like the sound of broken glass. Ray lifted his head and peered out the door, not sure what could have made the noise. There weren't any glass beakers or anything in the office next door...maybe a coffee mug got knocked over by the cleaner? Then again, he specifically instructed no one to enter this floor, since the top secret project he was working on was, well, a secret.

Ray's scientific curiosity getting the better of him, he decided to explore what had made the noise. Papers blew out of the doorway, giving it a red carpet feel as they settled on the ground. He bent over to pick up the first of the papers and saw the wind was coming from a broken window – his office was on the 52nd floor. He charged inside to figure out what was going on, and then he saw a man in a faded green cloth hood. The hood barely covered the top half of the man's chest, with the man wearing all black for the rest of his clothing.

"Ray Palmer," the man's distorted voice boomed. "You have failed this city!"

Ray jumped back and slipped on the papers that were still on the ground. He hit the ground with a thud, and he stared down the arrow that was drawn and pointed at him.

"I thought you were dead," Ray stammered.

"I almost was. And a good kid took my place until I got back; only I got back too late," the Arrow confided.

"I'm sorry about your friend," Ray consoled.

They both stared each other down, neither party sure of what to say.

"Not to sound rude, but what is it you want from me?" Ray finally inquired.

"Palmer Tech supplied Starling City with encryption that has kept another friend of mine from finding evidence about Mayor Sparshott's illegal imprisonment of the city's own police officers," The Arrow answered.

"Why would she lock up her own cops?"

"The officers disagreed with the order to use lethal force on the protesters last week, and she wants a police force that is only loyal to her."

"And she seemed so nice when I backed her for Mayor...How can I help?"

The Arrow pulled lowered his bow and placed it back in the quiver. Ray took a closer look and saw the bow, arrows, and quiver looked primitive. Wherever the Arrow had been, it was nowhere near civilization.

"I need you to give me your username and password so my friend can find the evidence we need."

"Well, as much as I would like to do that, I don't have access to the city's intranet."

In a split second The Arrow closed the gap between them by half and had his bow drawn once again.

"Not yet, anyways! Jeez, haven't you ever dealt with a problem other than shooting at it? Karina asked me to partner up with her to set up some kind of Orwellian dystopia in Starling City and I turned her down. If I take her up on her offer with the promise of some new tech then maybe she'll let me have access to her network."

The Arrow once again put down his bow and much more slowly closed the distance between them.

"Do it," the Arrow affirmed as he brushed past Ray and called the elevator.

"I thought you came in through the window?" Ray asked.

"Nope, that was just to get your attention. By the way, you should hire better security guards," the Arrow retorted. He threw a guard badge at Ray's feet just as the elevator doors were closing.

"Show off," Ray muttered.

[A/N: Just so you guys know, the title of this chapter, Atavism, means "recurrence of or reversion to a past style, outlook, approach, or manner." I thought it went well with the image of Oliver taking up his original mission, costume and weapons]


	12. Double Agent

"So let me get this straight," Thea outlined. "This guy, who is the CEO that took over our family's company, is going to act as a..."

"Double agent," Palmer injected.

"Right...and why do we trust this guy?"

"Because Mayor Sparshott reached out to Palmer for his help to set up the surveillance and crime detection software; but he turned her down."

"But if he turned her down then how did she set up her all her surveillance tech?" Diggle asked.

"Well, while I refused to provide her with the latest and greatest Palmer tech, so she went ahead and purchased encryption tools and cameras through our normal commercial avenues."

"So since she bought up all your merchandise then why would she need you anymore?" Laurel prodded.

"While she purchased our commercial line, I will pretend to offer her the latest developed technology and analytics software to help her reduce cost for manpower while also decreasing the time it takes to detect threats or wanted individuals."

"Which right now is us," Oliver stated.

"You're going to hand her tech which can track us down while saving her more money? Why is that a good thing?" Thea argued.

"Well, I'm not _really_ going to give her new tech," Ray elaborated. "I'm just going to tell her I am in order for her to give me access to the city's encrypted network. Then I'll install some spyware that will let Felicity have access to all the surveillance and give you guys a better idea of what you're dealing with."

"Yay! Now I won't be so blind and stupid!" Felicity cheered.

"You never were," Diggle reassured.

"Then after all this techno-mumbo-jumbo I can get through all that security and kill that bitch for Roy," Thea concluded.

"Or we can expose her and let justice take its course," Oliver proposed.

"Are you serious? We're vigilantes! We literally take our justice outside of the law."

"No, taking your own justice is revenge. I realized that when Tommy… after my first year when I was killing. Now I know that killing isn't justice. I help to make sure justice is carried out; I thought that's what you did to."

"Roy didn't get any justice when the police shot him down! I know that in the end it was the mayor who ordered to take him out."

"We have to be better than our enemies, Thea," Oliver chastised.

"You're such a hypocrite," Thea seethed, walking away. She then called out without looking back. "Call me when we're actually doing something."

Thea slammed the door to the lair , and everyone stared awkwardly at Oliver.

"You heard her, get started on a plan," Oliver barked before storming off as well.

Oliver walked up to the training dummy at the end of the lair and punched it as hard as he could. A small _crack_ was heard as a piece splintered off, and Oliver winced in pain, and at his own foolishness.

"You know I never had any siblings, but if I did I imagine I would have fought with them as much as you two do," Felicity mused as she grabbed his hand and inspected it for injury.

"Yeah," Oliver chuckled, moving his fingers to show he was fine. "But I think my sister wanting to kill for revenge goes a little bit beyond the typical sibling argument."

"Don't be so sure," Felicity remarked. "You're just the infinitely wise older brother looking out for his little sister; and she is the rebellious little sister who wants to do whatever she thinks will make her feel better."

"I just don't want her to do something she will regret. And I'm probably a little disappointed she would even think about killing another person to begin with."

"The person she loved was killed practically right in front of her. Imagine what you would do in that situation if I… I mean if it happened to someone you cared about. What would you do?"

Felicity let go of his hand, realizing she had held on to it long after confirming it was uninjured. Oliver reached out and caught her hand again.

"If anything had happened to you...I honestly don't know what I would do..."

They stared into each other's eyes, both their hearts pounding.

"Hey we think we got something!" Diggle declared as he approached them. Diggle suddenly felt the tension between them and then quickly turned back around. "Uh, whenever you guy's are ready."

Once again their hands parted, and both instantly feeling like there was something missing.

* * *

"Thank you for taking the time to meet with me," Ray Palmer chirped as he shook hands with Karina. "I know with everything going on you must be busy."

"Why yes, I'm simply swamped!" Karina lamented. "But, I have a feeling things are about to settle down. At least, once those vigilantes are caught. I can't believe how horribly I misjudged them, thinking they were actually helping this city. At least they showed their _true_ colors before it was too late."

Karina poured two glasses of brandy and handed one to Ray before returning to her desk.

"And You were right about being busy; it's got me so exhausted that I'm rambling. What would you like to talk to me about?" Karina added.

"Well, as it turns out I came to offer some assistance for your vigilante problem."

"How so?" Karina inquired.

"I would like to offer you some Palmer Technologies state of the art algorithms to locate the vigilantes anytime they are on the move."

"No offense Mr. Palmer, but when I asked about this at the start of my term you adamantly declined and I was forced to purchase your equipment at my own accord. Why are you so suddenly willing to help now?"

"I admit I was a little closed minded when you first told me about your plans. But after seeing how much progress you have made using the publicly available Palmer Tech, I can only imagine how much safer the city will be once we install our new private algorithms."

"What is this new algorithm capable of?"

"Most facial recognition software needs exactly that...a face," Ray explained. "When someone is running around in a hood and a mask they might as well be invisible. With this algorithm not only will your cameras be able to detect faces, but it can learn from a series of images and detect with near one hundred percent accuracy any objects, or in this case persons, in mere seconds. Of course they have to be in front of one of those cameras for a few seconds, but with enough of them you should be able to track their movements no matter how careful they are."

"That sounds very interesting. It would help the police to finally track down and corner those vigilantes once and for all. Just send the algorithm to one of the IT people and we're in business."

"That's not possible," Ray refused.

"Why not?"

"My apologies, I guess I didn't make myself very clear. This is highly classified _proprietary_ algorithm I am offering you. I can't allow something which costs me millions of dollars to develop be handed to some IT guy on a city salary. If someone were to sell a copy of it to a competitor it would ruin any monetary value it has; as well as the future of our partnership."

"I see," Karina pondered. "Well then, due to the sensitive nature of the information we will be mining, as well as the sensitive value of your algorithm, maybe it would be better for you to install the algorithm yourself."

"I think that would be best," Ray agreed.

"I'll let the IT department know to provide you with access to whatever you may need," Karina decreed.

"Thank you," Ray concluded as he stood to leave.

"One more thing, if you don't mind," Karina requested.

"Yes?"

"When you called this meeting I was optimistic that we would come to some kind of agreement; so I invited a few members of the press to be here so we could announce our increased cooperation to catch these vigilante criminals," Karina stated.

"And if we hadn't come to an agreement?" Ray asked.

"Well, let's just say it was to both of our benefit that we did," Karina stressed. "Now, let us shout our mutual love for this city from the rooftops, shall we? I'm sure those vultures – I mean journalists are about ready to each other alive downstairs."

Karina stood and gestured for Ray to lead the way. Ray opened the door out the office and stood in momentary disbelief before he complied. There were two police officers standing ready at either side of the doorway; neither of which were present when Ray entered.

"It's okay, they are here for your protection," Karina insisted. "I know how much you billionaire types like your safety."

"Much obliged," Ray smiled nervously.

_If I go on the record as being a strong supporter of Karina's administration just before we take her down, Palmer Tech might just go down with her…_ Ray thought.

"You know, I have a bit of a nervous bladder. Is it okay if I use the restroom before we go out there?" Ray asked.

"Of course! You are a guest; make yourself at home," Karina assured.

Ray nodded and rushed over to the bathroom, noticing the police officers followed closely. Luckily for him they remained outside the door, and he locked it before turning on the comm Team Arrow had given him.

"This is Ray, over! Anybody there?" Roy whispered.

"What's with the 'over' thing. I mean I know it's a radio but who talks like that for real?" Felicity replied.

"Felicity, theres a bit of a problem, well couple of them. Karina's got me under guard by two police, and she wants me to go do a press conference to announce our partnership," Ray explained.

"How did she get the press so fast? Weren't you there for like five minutes?"

"She had called them ahead of time. She implied that even if I had said no she was going to lock me up or something. I think that's why she set it up with the press and the cops, to make sure I didn't back out."

"Huh, that's actually pretty smart."

"Felicity..."

"I mean, in an evil dictator kind of way."

"Any way you guys can interrupt the press conference?"

"We're on it. What about the cops?"

"Well she thinks I'm on her side for now, so I don't think they'll do anything to me. Just shut down that press conference. Over and out."

Ray turned off his comm and stepped outside of the bathroom.

"You didn't wash your hands," one of the officers observed.

"Oh, well...studies show it's good to be a little unhygienic at times. It keeps the immune system strong," Ray blurted.

"Huh. Never woulda thought," the officer shrugged.

"Shall we proceed?" Karina prompted.

"Yes, of course."

* * *

Oliver and Thea were in costume, and sat on their motorcycles in an alley near city hall. They arrived only moments ago, with the news conference about to begin any minute. With no time to plan beforehand, Oliver began the first of the brainstorming.

"I think I'll just pop up on the balcony while the conference is going on and start accusing her of all the things we know she has done," Oliver proposed.

"Knowing Karina security is probably overkill," Thea commented. "You'll never be able to just sneak past. And even if you did you would be too far in to make an escape once they know you're there. Jeez, I thought I was supposed to be the young and stupid one."

"Well do you have any suggestions?" Oliver barked.

"Yeah we – never mind," Thea recanted.

"What is it?"

"Nothing. Once I thought about it it was even dumber than yours. Go ahead and sneak in; I'll help cover your escape route from outside."

"Alright then."

Oliver got off his motorcycle and climbed up the the side of the building using a drain pipe. Once he was on the roof he ran and leaped to the other building which was next door to city hall. He noticed a police sniper perched on the edge closest to city hall. Oliver crouched down low and sneaked up behind the sniper, putting him in a choke hold to render him unconscious. Once it was done he looked at the sniper rifle, and for just a second thought about how much easier it would be to use it on Karina instead using his own plan. He shook the thought away, but still picked up the sniper rifle and used the scope to get a closer view of the security at the conference.

Thea was right: security was overkill. He noticed snipers at the the other nearby rooftops and there were more police officers than press members inside the rotunda where the conference was being held.

"Whatever you guys are going to do, do it fast," Felicity warned. "They just introduced Mayor Sparshott and she is approaching the podium."

Suddenly there was a loud _screech_ as Thea took off on the motorcycle, leaving behind a trail of smoke and the smell of burning rubber.

Thea Queen ducked low as she mounted the curb, ignoring her brother yelling in her ear over the comm. Instead she sped up and crashed through the glass walls of the city hall rotunda. She did a low-side fall and had the motorcycle slide into the three police officers covering the left side of the staging area. Thea slid on her back, bow in hand, and waited until her speed reduced. When the moment was right, she jumped back on her feet and drew an arrow about to fire at Karina.

However, Karina had ducked behind the podium while two bodyguards surrounded her, one of them with his weapon drawn. Thea shot the one with the weapon in the shoulder and ran up the side of the staging area, looking desperately for a shot at the mayor. Once again a bodyguard was covering Karina with his own body, and Thea shot him in the leg. The bodyguard dropped to the side, leaving the slightest opening at Karina. Thea reached for an arrow in her quiver, her heart beating in anticipation of the kill.

Gunshots boomed inside the acoustics of the building. Officers from the other side of the staging area shot over the crowd that, by now, had hit the deck.

_Damn it_, Thea thought as she passed up the opening on Karina to run and take cover behind a pillar.

"Get the mayor out of here!" Thea heard police shout above the gunfire.

Thea peaked out the side of the pillar and saw two police officers escorting the mayor into the elevator. A bullet blew a chunk off the pillar and she ducked back into cover; knowing she failed to achieve her objective.

"I'm gonna need some help getting out guys!" Thea howled.

"_Just hang tight_," Oliver said over the comm.

Thea peaked again outside of the pillar and saw the police were beginning to approach while more officers laid down cover fire which caused her to hide behind the pillar again.

"Hurry it up!"

More glass shattered as Oliver shot sniper fire into the fray, wounding police officers as they made their approach. The police scattered as they ran for cover.

"_Go now!_"

Thea sprinted out of her hiding place, and shot her bow randomly just above the officer's heads to keep them in cover. She made it outside, but the sound of police sirens were fast approaching and she was without a vehicle. She made a beeline for the alleyway where Oliver's motorcycle was, hopefully, still parked.

"I'm taking your bike, Ollie! You better get back down quick."

"_Don't worry about me, just keep running._"

Thea heard more gunshots as Oliver kept covering her with the sniper rifle. She reached the alley after what felt like forever and jumped on the motorcycle.

"Come on, Ollie!"

"_Just ride straight ahead I'll catch up!_"

_How?_ Thea thought.

Without hesitation Thea turned on the motorcycle and took off straight ahead. Thea saw a zip-line arrow connect at the ground in front of her and saw her brother go down the line. She braked hard and drifted the motorcycle so it stopped right in front of where the line connected with the ground. Oliver tucked into a roll as he landed and then jumped onto the back seat of the motorcycle.

"Go!" Oliver commanded.

Thea had already began to twist the throttle the moment he sat down, and they shot off into the traffic of downtown Starling City to disappear.

* * *

"What the hell were you thinking!" Oliver chided when they returned to the lair.

"I was trying to get justice for Roy!" Thea defended.

"Really? Because it seemed to me that you were just trying to get yourself killed!"

"Alright everyone let's just calm down," Diggle cooed.

"No! She could've died out there and gotten all those people hurt in the process! You're done Thea!" Oliver continued his tirade.

"Screw you and your damn crusade! All it's done is get all the people we care about killed! Mom, Sara, Roy...how many of us have to die before you realize that _you're_ the one that has failed this city!"

Thea threw down her bow and quiver and stormed off to the showers. Oliver stood there, speechless. He had no defense for all the terrible things that have happened since his return from the island.

"Hey Oliver–" Felicity started

"Not now, Felicity," Oliver shot down. "I'm okay, really. Right now I just want to focus on the mission and–"

"Actually that's what I was going to talk to you about before you so rudely interrupted me. Ray Palmer is trying to reach you on the comms."

"Oh, okay," Oliver faltered.

He joined Felicity and Diggle at her computers, and she took the microphone off mute.

"We're back, and Oliver is here," Felicity relayed.

"_Great...now what the hell was that?!_" Ray chided. "_All I asked was to break up the press conference, not assassinate the mayor! That's not what I signed on for!_"

"Calm down! I'm sorry about what happened today, it really wasn't supposed to happen like that."

"All of us want the same thing: bring Mayor Sparshott to justice," Diggle reassured.

"I_ know that's what we've all said, but I want to make it clear; justice is bringing Karina out of the mayor's office and into jail, right?_" Ray clarified.

"Yes, that's what that means," Oliver sighed in annoyance. "Where are we as far as getting access to the city's servers?"

"_I was just given access and am installing the spyware so Felicity can have remote access from her computer over at your...what do you call it? Is it a base? A lair? It has more of a lair look to it; and by that I mean it looks really depressing._"

"I've always thought that too," Felicity agreed.

"Me three," Diggle said.

"Okay, enough!" Oliver yapped. "Get out of there Ray so we know you're safe."

"_Yeah..I can't really leave just yet. I told here I would have to teach the algorithm to look for your figures and costumes and all that, which takes time. But we don't really want that to happen so instead I'm going to look up incriminating documents and start leaking them to the press._"

"Ray, you really shouldn't do that from inside city hall. Let Felicity do it here from the...lair, I guess."

"_Don't worry, I know how to cover my tracks. Besides, if I'm here in the server room it will keep anyone else from coming in and discovering that I haven't really done anything._"

"That's actually a good idea," Felicity affirmed. "He promised her a whole system upgrade, and he wouldn't be done in less than hour. Someone would get suspicious and look around."

"Fine. Ray, see if you can convince Karina to let Diggle in the server room with you so he can make sure you're safe. Say that you need his expertise with something."

"_But I'm already an expert in–_"

"I said just _say_ you need it, not that you actually need it."

"_Fine._"

"The rest of us will get the plan ready for tomorrow."

Oliver muted the microphone and looked over at Diggle.

"I'll suit up so I can look after Palmer," Diggle stated. "And no I don't mean a costume; I mean like a real suit and tie."

"Good. Feliicty, call Laurel and see if she can come down to help with planning for tomorrow. I'm going to check on Thea."

"You got it Mr. Bossy Pants."

"Please," Oliver added.

Oliver knocked before entering the locker room. He kept his eyes lowered in case she hadn't heard, but she was already dressed and sitting on the bench, phone in hand. She had tears streaming down her cheeks, and as soon as she saw him she got up and hugged him tightly.

"You were right, Ollie," Thea said in between fits of crying. "I hurt someone...one of the cops...I nicked his femoral artery and he started bleeding out really bad. He's in critical condition and they had to amputate his leg."

Oliver kept silent as he held his little sister. There was nothing more he could say that could make her feel better or worse than she felt right now. All that was left was to be there and listen.

"I can't go after her anymore," Thea continued, a little more composed. "I mean, I still want to see her pay for what she did to Roy, but I don't want anyone else to get hurt. And if she is right there in my sights again, I don't if I could control myself if anyone got in the way."

"Thats okay," Oliver soothed. "We're coming up with a plan to take her down tomorrow. You can just stay here with Felicity. I'll take care of Karina for you...and Roy."

"No, whatever the plan is, you're going to need help. Just keep me out of the room with her and I should be able to handle it."

"Alright."

Oliver kissed her on the forehead and then ended their embrace. He left the locker room and closed the door behind him to give her time alone. Thea stared at the lock screen of her phone: a picture of her and Roy at the beach in Coast City. She finally had an answer to what she wouldn't give to get revenge for Roy.

* * *

Chloe Sullivan took another sip of what was her fifth cup of coffee. Despite her exhaustion she did not want to fall asleep even after she finished editing the footage of the assassination attempt on the mayor. She was afraid that once she fell asleep it would all come back to her in dreams, or rather, in nightmares. There were also a myriad of questions keeping her awake too. Why were the vigilantes all of a sudden targeting the mayor's office? She had welcomed them with open arms and yet they turned on her all of a sudden. Something just wasn't adding up…

There was a chime at her computer as she received another email. She glanced at it, making sure it wasn't another one from Susana complaining about how people need to clean up their own dishes in the break room. Didn't people have better things to worry about? Like almost dying while on the job?

It turns out it was an email from the mayor's office, although the email address didn't have a name attached to it. The body of the email had only one line: _she's not who you think she is_.

There was an attachment, and Chloe decided to open it despite IT's warnings to NEVER open attachments from people you don't know.

_Screw IT_, Chloe thought.

The attachment had records of what looked like prisoner logs from Starling City Jail, and then there was a photo image with Captain Lance in a jail cell. The timestamp on the image had today's date, and it was taken two hours ago. The prisoner log was from today as well, and it was updated just under an hour ago. Nowhere on the log did it say Captain Lance was in custody.

"Holy shit," Chloe uttered once she made the connection.

She chugged the rest of her coffee and got up to make some more. It was going to be a busy night.


	13. Discompose

"_People have once again taken to the streets after reports of Mayor Sparshott holding political prisoners in Starling City Jail; many of whom are members of her own police force. One such prisoner is Captain Lance, who received a commendation for his role in helping to stop the terrorist attack last year spearheaded by Slade Wilson. Sources say he was taken prisoner after refusing to carry out orders to use lethal force on protesters. This was the same protest where the vigilantes had allegedly attacked the police without provocation; however the same source has revealed it was in fact in defense of protesters from police officers who carried out the orders to use lethal force._

_The protests which are occurring today are calling for Mayor Sparshott's resignation as well as for the release of Captain Lance and the other officers. A spokesperson for the mayor has declined to comment on the political prisoners, and has simply stated the mayor will allow protests to continue so long as they remain peaceful. Many protesters have stated they will not leave until their demands have been met."_

"Alright we need to go now," Diggle prompted Ray. "The leaks are all over the news which means Mayor Sparshott probably knows you are the one leaking the information."

"You're absolutely right," Ray agreed. "Besides, I just booked an interview with Chloe Sullivan from the news in about an hour, and I need to go home and shower."

"Yeah, because getting out alive isn't important enough," Diggle mumbled to himself as he poked his head out the door, and the spoke to Ray again. "The hallway is clear, let's go."

He led Ray towards the main lobby, where the van waited outside in the parking lot. Right as they turned the corner he saw two police officers were blocking their way. Diggle pushed back Ray before they were spotted, and then looked at a small map posted on the wall for the nearest emergency exit. They backtracked and found the emergency exit was blocked once again by two more police officers.

"Now what do we do?" Ray whispered.

"We go back to the front, tell them we're done for the day, and walk out the front door."

"I thought you said Karina would already know I leaked the the information."

"She probably does, but we're just gonna have to hope she hasn't told any of the guards yet."

They made their way to the front of the building once again, and just as Diggle was about to casually stroll up to the police he spotted the two police officers talking with another one dressed in tactical gear. Diggle once again pushed Ray back and then shoved him back into the server room.

"We may be screwed," Diggle relayed. "SWAT just got here, which means we're not going to get out by ourselves."

"So what do we do now?"

"Nothing. At least not until the cavalry gets here."

"_Got it! Almost there!_" Thea shouted into the comms, the sound of a motorcycle engine roaring in the background.

"Front or back?" Diggle inquired.

"_Front_._Be ready to cover your ears_."

Diggle and Ray snuck back out to the precipice of the front lobby, waiting for either Thea or the SWAT team to strike first. SWAT officers were huddled in the front end of the lobby, preparing to infiltrate the server room and presumably destroy any evidence along with the witnesses; which in this case were Ray and Diggle. He heard the sound of an approaching motorcycle and saw Thea ride up with Laurel in the backseat. Glass shattered as Laurel threw something small through the window. Diggle put in ear plugs, and signaled Ray to cover his own.

A loud shriek filled the lobby, and the SWAT team dropped their weapons to cover their ears. Diggle, Thea, and Laurel all moved in unison. All their time together led them to become a well-oiled machine of vigilante justice.

Laurel was the first to attack, easily taking down two SWAT team members as they continued to shield their ears from the Canary Cry. One SWAT officer fought through the pain and reached for his weapon on the ground to counterattack. Thea shot an arrow from the motorcycle that sent his weapon flying away, and Laurel knocked him out. Diggle rushed in and took down the two police officers that were charged with "protecting" Ray Palmer. It was over in a matter of seconds, and Laurel deactivated her device as she retrieved it. Diggle went back, grabbed Ray by the arm, and dragged him at a running pace out of the building.

"Why are we in such a hurry? You guys took them all out," Ray asked.

Sirens pierced the normal din of the city, and the first of soon to be many police cars could be seen approaching from the horizon.

"That's why," Diggle pointed out. "Now shut up and get in the van."

Diggle started the engine and took off before Ray was fully inside, causing the billionaire to yelp as he hopped on one leg to keep up with the car and pull himself in. Thea and Laurel followed suit on the motorcycle.

"Felicity we need you to-" Diggle started.

"A_lready on it,_" Felicity acknowledged. "_I hacked into the traffic cameras and they are on a loop of the last 5 minutes of footage. They won't be able to track you that way. God it feels good to be able to __say that__ again!_"

"We'll let you know when all of us are at the rendezvous point," Diggle confirmed.

"What do you mean rendezvous point?"Ray asked. "Aren't we just going back to the lair?"

"Not exactly. We got a plan to take down Karina so we're going to execute it before she orders an attack on the protesters."

"Can't you guys just stop them like you did at the last protest?"

"We were lucky that time; Captain Lance and other officers refused the order. Now the only cops left are the ones loyal to her."

Diggle then braked suddenly to drift the van into a spot right in front of Palmer Technologies.

"Now shut up and get out of the van so I can go to the rendezvous," Diggle prompted.

Palmer wiped his sweaty palms on his shirt before he opened the passenger door, trying not to look as terrified as he felt. Ray held the door open as he turned around to speak.

"So when do we meet up to-"

The van took off, the momentum tearing the passenger door from Ray's hands and slamming it shut. Ray stood there for a moment, looking annoyed at having been ignored. Ray made his way inside and saw that the receptionist was staring at him, phone in hand.

"Is everything okay, sir? I just called security," the young man asked.

"I'm fine, no need to call them. It was just an old friend of mine dropping me off," Ray lied.

He found it odd at how easily the lie came out. Ray waved off the receptionist who was combing over him for injuries and he took the elevator up to his private office. He took a quick shower and pulled out a change of clothes from his closet.

He first started out with a shirt and pants tucked into one of his desk drawers for emergencies, but it has since evolved into a full walk-in closet. He told people it was because "money never sleeps," but the reality was he never slept; not ever since his wife passed away.

Ray looked out into Starling City and thought about the group of people who were out there, performing a thankless job of protecting the city from threats they had no idea were out there. He clenched his fist, the adrenaline from the events earlier today (_was it really only half an hour ago?_) still flowing through him. He walked over to his desk and logged on to his computer. He accessed an encrypted file and loaded the plans he obsessed over when his fiancée was killed in the attack last year. In the plans he had a program set to purchase the equipment he would need, and he pushed the button to execute it. The computer began to submit orders through a series of shell corporations to build what he called the A.T.O.M. suit.

* * *

"Where are they now?" Karina demanded.

"We're not sure," Chief Brown reported. "The officers went to where the show up on the security footage but they aren't there. Our own officers don't even show up on the footage, so they must be looping old footage to throw us off."

"So, have you increased the search area?"

"I did, but our officers are being stretched too thin to really be effective. With the protests going on all over the city, it would leave city hall too vulnerable if we-"

"Pull them from the protests," Karina commanded. "These vigilantes have proven to be more dangerous than any kind of protest."

"But if the people begin to riot..."

"Then we will blame the damage on the vigilantes. Capture one alive if you can and eliminate the rest. We'll put the one through a speedy trial and be done with it."

"Yes ma'am," Chief Brown replied and began to relay the orders to his officers.

Karina returned to the screens, and changed one of them to the news station but there were no speakers. She saw Ray Palmer sitting across from a reporter, with the banner: Mayor Sparshott's Criminal Behavior Exposed.

_That asshole_, Karina thought as she stared at the screen.

Suddenly the screens blinked, and the vigilante group appeared in the dead center of the Glades.

"There! Send every officer not in direct sight of the protests into there. We can at least give the illusion that there is order until we take them down."

* * *

Police stared stoically into the crowd as the protesters shouted their discontent right into their faces. There were snipers all along the rooftops, and roadblocks set up to ensure no vehicles would be able to enter what has been dubbed the "Green Zone" by the chief of police. Despite the requirement of constant vigilance many officers enjoyed the posts, and would often fight over them. It was worth it for all the overtime they got for it. Today, however, the officers at the roof and half at the roadblocks were given orders they never expected: leave their posts to join the search for the vigilantes.

Some had asked for the orders to be repeated because for the most recent part of Mayor Sparshott's tenure their superiors stressed to never abandon their posts at the Green Zone. Even after the orders were repeated many of them hesitated to follow. One by one they began to leave, drawing out the process over an hour. None of the protesters did not notice the reduced police presence, with the exception of one.

Oliver Queen calmly broke away from the center of the protest and entered an alley nearby. He reached into a dumpster and pulled out a duffel bag. He drew out his crude bow, quiver, and green hood he used on the island. He did not feel proper wearing one of the spare green costumes he had; they looked identical to the one Roy had donned. The real Arrow, the one who was willing to pay the ultimate price for the city, had died and could never be reborn.

With the comm securely inserted in his ear, he began the climb to the rooftops. He knew he needed to hurry before the increased manpower on the hunt for his friends actually put his friends in danger.

"I'm starting my approach. How are things on your end?" Oliver checked-in.

"_So far they haven't found us_," Diggle reported. "_It wont be long though, we can hear the sirens_."

"_That's Diggle's nice way of saying hurry your ass up, Ollie_," Thea reframed.

"Thanks for clarifying," Oliver grumbled as he hoisted himself over the edge and onto the rooftop. He scanned quickly all the surrounding rooftops and confirmed all the snipers had left. "I'm in position."

"_Alright, taking out the looped footage_," Felicity said._ "You guys are now live on channel 1984._"

"_Yep, here they come_," Diggle confirmed.

Oliver then took off in a sprint and leaped towards the city hall building. He was losing altitude fast, and quickly judged he would probably end up at the 4th story window, 2 floors lower than where the Mayor's office was. He shot an arrow to shatter the window and plowed through the opening immediately after. He tucked into a roll, and once again scanned his surroundings. There were no sirens, and oddly no signs of life. Perhaps the protests had scared off all of but the most loyal workers from city hall. Oliver glanced the emergency evacuation map on the wall to determine the location of the stairwell and made his way over. He was disappointed that he fell two floors below the Mayor's office, thinking that perhaps he was more out of practice than he thought.

He dashed up the stairs and burst through the door of the 6th story, bow drawn. This time there were some people who gasped when they saw him; mostly likely aides since he did not recognize any of them. They all held their hands up, staring in disbelief at the way he was dressed and the crud bow he was wielding. He signaled with his head to leave, and they all ran without further prompting. Once they were cleared he took a lamppost and jammed the door with it.

As he approached the office he heard the slightest shuffle on the carpet, and given the position he could tell it was most likely a bodyguard. He recalled there were two bodyguards when Thea had attempted to assassinate her the previous day, so he judged the other one was probably waiting silently across from the one he heard.

Oliver ran a few steps and then rolled with an arrow in his hand, stabbing the ankle of the bodyguard he had heard. When he popped back up he had his bow drawn and shot the other bodyguard in the shoulder, causing him to drop his gun. Oliver rushed over and threw a punch combo to knock the guard out. He turned to finish the other bodyguard, but the guard was limping away towards the elevator. Whether it was actual surrender or he was going after help, it didn't matter to Oliver. He will have finished what he came for any minute.

"_We started giving them a real chase to keep them busy, but it's getting kind of hectic_," Diggle updated.

"Don't worry, it'll be over soon," Oliver hissed as he made his approach.

"_Leave your comm on; I want to hear that bitch scream for her life_," Thea stressed.

"Well then start listening."

The mayor's office was ajar, and a slim beam of light pierced through the dim hallway to lead him in. Oliver pushed in the door to the Mayor's and turned on the device to disguise his voice. Karina stood behind her desk, her left hand holding a drink and her right hand limply at her side holding a pistol.

"I have to admit this is a surprise," Karina remarked, taking a sip of her drink.

"With everything you've done it shouldn't be," Oliver replied, drawing his bow. "Karina Sparshott, you have failed-"

"This city would be in ashes if I hadn't stepped up," Karina protested.

"Does that include ordering the assault on innocent protesters? Or secretly locking up your own police officers? Maybe it's because you blew the budget to play Big Brother? But regardless of all of that, you killed the one person who _really_ did step up to save this city: The Arrow."

"Oh he's not dead," Karina blurted nonchalantly. "Although given all the leaks that, I assume you're somehow responsible for, I'm surprised you didn't know that already."

"_WHAT?_" Thea hollered over the comm.

"Where is he!" Oliver bellowed, stepping closer with his bow still drawn.

Karina lifted her gun, her cool demeanor dissolving at the possibility she may have gone too far.

"How about a little deal? You let me walk out of here right now and I'll tell you where your friend is at."

"How do I know he is even really alive?"

"The same way I know _you_ are the real Arrow, Mr. Queen," Karina teased. "Because I've spoken to him. Believe me, he wasn't very forthcoming with any information. After all this time I had my best detectives questioning him and that was the only thing I was able to get him to give up. He said it didn't matter if I knew because you were dead anyways. I guess he lied about that last part didn't he..."

"What's to stop me from using your own surveillance state to find out where he is?"

"_On it_," Felicity said over the comm.

"I suppose you could try; but it won't work," Karina countered. She was so confident in her response that she even laid down her gun and began to pack up some papers from her desk.

Oliver vigilantly stood with his bow drawn in case she had attempted to draw any weapons or set off any type of hidden alarm; he wanted to give Felicity a minute to find Roy through the surveillance footage.

"_Anything yet?!_" Thea pleaded over the comms. The sounds of gunshots started to bleed into the comms. Time was running out for the team to get away safely.

"_I've ran facial recognition through almost 75% of the surveillance cameras, but there aren't any hits,_" Felicity reported in."_There's a slight chance he will pop up in the remaining search of the system but I wouldn't count on it._"

"_Take the deal Ollie!" _Thea urged.

Oliver shot his arrow and knocked a book out of Karina's hand as she packed.

"Tell me where he is," Oliver commanded again.

"The fact that you're asking me again means you haven't found him in the surveillance footage; just like I said," Karina scoffed.

"_90%...__but still no Roy_," Felicity updated.

"_Ollie!"_ Thea howled.

"Okay!" Oliver exploded and then lowered his bow. "I'll let you go; but first tell me where Roy is."

"You see this phone," Karina gestured to her desk phone. "I am going to walk out that door, get into my car, and drive away. Once I feel I am safely away I will call you on that phone and tell you were he is."

"No, you'll just drive away without ever giving the location."

"Please. What kind of monster do you think I am? Besides, I'm sure you'll be tracking my every move through the traffic cameras until I leave the city, so there's that."

"_100% complete...No sign of him anywhere_," Felicity said.

"Fine," Oliver hissed. "But if I don't get a phone call in 5 minutes, I will hunt you down and make you wish you had never set foot in my city."

"Agreed."

Karina made a show of putting her cell phone into her bag and then walked past Oliver, who stared her down. Karina, however, was not intimidated and made no effort to hide her smirk at her victory over the infamous Arrow. Oliver waited until her elevator began it's descent and then went back over to the desk phone, and marked the time to count off five minutes. Five minutes and that phone will ring – or she will die.

"_Oliver, things are getting pretty heavy over here_," Diggle stated.

"Right. Get out of there; thing's are all clear over here."

"_Roger_."

Oliver looked back at the clock. Only two minutes had passed. He punched the desk in frustration as he sat through the longest five minutes of his life.

"_We're almost out. Thea make sure you keep that cover fire on the south side_," Diggle said over the comm.

"_Uh...right...sorry,_" Thea stammered, distracted as she waited for news about Roy.

The desk phone suddenly rang and Oliver picked it up before it finished the first ring.

"Where is he?" Oliver demanded.

"He's at the docks. Shipping container number 5403," Karina simply replied and hung up.

Oliver dropped the handset and ran for the stairs.

"I'm heading for the docks. He's in a shipping container, uh, 5403," Oliver huffed as he ran as fast as he could down the stairs. "Felicity, track Karina's car. I want to go after her as soon as Roy is safe."

"_But I thought -_" Felicity started.

"We can't just let her get away with all that she has done. Just do it."

"_Thea get back here!" _Diggle yelled.

The sound of a motorcycle cut into the comms before suddenly going quiet.

"Diggle what happened?"

"_Thea just took off on the bike once you said the location. She was covering our 6 while we loaded up the extra ammo and arrows in the van."_

"Thea get back there, they need your help!"

"_I think she ditched her comms. I'm only getting street traffic noise_," Felicity explained.

"Damn it! Hang on Dig, I'm coming!"

"_We got the van loaded, but we can't shake them off in the van. Just draw their attention and we should be good,_" Diggle instructed.

Oliver sprinted and made his way to the motorcycle he took into the main square. He took off and made a beeline for Diggle and Laurel's van.

"Felicity where is Karina?"

"_She's on the freeway heading north on the interstate. She's about halfway out of the city, and she didn't get to put many cameras on the interstate since it falls under state property. She could only place the cameras on buildings that were tall enough to overlook it._"

"Well, keep tracking her as best as you can. Diggle, I'm 5 minutes away."

"_By all means take your time_," Diggle murmured.

Oliver downshifted and throttled up to give him a burst of speed to run through a red light, and barely managed to go through without being hit. He then turned the corner and spotted Diggle's van cross the intersection he was approaching. Oliver turned to follow suit just as the three pursuing police cars crossed the intersection as well. Oliver rode alongside the police cars and then shot his bow at the tires to the cars to the left and right of him. The tires were punctured and they spun out, crashing into each other and creating a barrier for the road. The third police car, which was slightly behind, slammed it's brakes and lightly crashed into the two cars.

Oliver stopped to make sure the police officers were not fatally injured, and then rode away from the scene.

"Diggle, make your way to the docks. Depending on what kind of shape Roy's in he might need to lay down in the van. Felicity, where is Karina now?"

"_I don't know_," Felicity crowed."_She was on the interstate a minute ago but she hasn't popped up in the next camera feed. I have the computer scanning for her plates in the area, but so far nothing_."

"Damn it!" Oliver roared. "Keep looking for her; I'm going to make sure Roy is okay."

Oliver shot ahead of Diggle's van towards the docks. He parked next to Thea's motorcycle and threw open the container door.

Thea sat on the floor holding Roy's head in her lap, tears streaming down her face. Oliver's heart froze as he waited for some sign that Roy was alive. There was an almost imperceptible movement on Roy's chest as he breathed, and Oliver held his own breath as he looked for it again to make sure he did not wishfully see it. His patience was rewarded, and he saw Roy's chest rise and fall more strongly. Oliver wiped away tears of his own as he became overwhelmed with joy at his former apprentice being alive.


	14. Finishing Touches

"_Former Mayor Karina Sparshott's whereabouts are still unknown and authorities continue the search to apprehended her after her corrupt criminal activities were leaked by Palmer Technologies CEO Ray Palmer. The leaks revealed Ms. Sparshott had illegally imprisoned police officers and other city officials who disagreed with her agenda. She filled the vacant positions of her political prisoners with her own friends as well as to those who could offer her political favors. She had also established a veritable surveillance state, installing cameras all throughout the city and used the broadband network Palmer Technologies had established for the public to use. Ray Palmer denied any prior knowledge of her use of his broadband network, and once he did gain knowledge he stated he had taken it upon himself to leak the information to the public. Karina also-"_

"Yeah, I bet Ray took it upon himself," Thea muttered as she turned off the TV. "And he took all the credit too."

"Relax, babe," Roy said as he sat up in his hospital bed. "We wear masks; it's not like we'll ever really get the credit for it anyways."

"I know, but it would still be nice," Thea complained. However, she still smiled from being called babe and squeezed his hand which was handcuffed to the bed.

"I'm with Thea," Felicity agreed. "It would be nice to at least be mentioned by our code names or whatever."

Felicity looked over at Diggle, Oliver, and Laurel for additional support.

"Felicity – you and I don't _have_ code names," Diggle corrected.

"Still..."

"I'm just glad my dad is out of jail now," Laurel said.

"How is he doing, by the way?" Oliver inquired.

"Doctors say he had a mild case of malnutrition, but he's doing better."

"So much better," Captain Lance pronounced as he entered Roy's hospital room. "That I decided to to pay a visit to the vigilante known as the Arrow."

"Daddy, what are you doing here? You should go back and rest some more," Laurel insisted, hoping to distract her father from the room's inhabitants.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that? But then again I already know why you're here, Black Canary," Captain Lance answered. He then continued by pointing at each of them one at a time. "Now let me guess...Oliver was the first Arrow, Roy was Arsenal who became the second Arrow, and Thea you're...Speedy, I think it was? Mr. Diggle, since you are always with Oliver then I'm sure you've been involved somehow. And of course I already know Ms. Smoak is acquainted with the vigilantes."

The room fell silent, and they all took turns sneaking glances behind Captain Lance, waiting for a wave of police officers to burst through the door and arrest them all.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to arrest you; at least not today," Captain Lance reassured. "But if any of you ever do end up posing a threat to this city, that will change real quick. For now, I would just like to thank you for getting me out of jail and showing Mayor Sparshott's true colors."

They all let out a collective sigh of relief.

"Don't scare us like that, dad," Laurel chastised.

"You scare me half to death every night you're out there. Especially after your sister..." Captain Lance trailed off, not wanting to relive the memory. "Just be careful; all of you."

"Yes sir," Oliver avowed.

"So since you said you're not arresting anybody does that mean I am free to go?" Roy asked.

"Unfortunately no," Captain Lance answered. "Since Sparshott disappeared, the DA wants to put at least _somebody_ on trial; even if it's nothing to do with what the former Mayor has done."

"That's ridiculous! Let me talk to her," Laurel miffed and pulled out her phone.

"Don't bother, I've already tried to talk her out of it. She says the Arrow still killed dozens of people the first year he arrived, and the statute of limitation on murder never runs out. So, she felt he should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law."

"But Roy wasn't the Arrow then!" Thea entreated.

"I tried convince the DA that maybe Mayor Sparshott had faked Roy being the Arrow as some kind of propaganda; but there are over a dozen officers who pointed out Roy was the one they captured that night in the jail. And since no one ever knew he was replacing Oliver..."

"All the blame falls on him," Felicity finished.

Everyone looked at Roy with a sudden fear and dread of his fate. At best life in prison. At worst the death penalty.

"Then it's time the world finds out who the Arrow really is," Oliver declared, and then walked up to Captain Lance and offered his hands. "I admit to everything. Being a vigilante, murdering all those people during my crusade two years ago...everything."

"Oliver don't!" Roy roared. "This city needs the Arrow."

"You can't be executed for something you didn't do! Arrest me, detective."

"Even if you confessed and I did arrest you, Harper would still go to prison for being a vigilante. And given that he helped put a lot of the inmates in there he'd be a dead man anyways."

"So that's it then," Roy breathed, defeated. "I'll take the blame for everything that way only one of us gets killed instead of two."

"Damn it Roy! This isn't the time to be noble," Thea retorted.

"I agree," Captain Lance interjected. "You're still just a kid, and you avoided death once already. Try not to be so eager to stare death in the face."

"What do you suggest?" Laurel asked.

Captain Lance let out a long sigh.

"I say, I loosen those cuffs and he makes a run for it."

"But people will know you let him out and then the DA will make sure you lose your job," Laurel cautioned.

"Early retirement wouldn't be so bad," Captain Lance tried to convince himself as much as the others.

"Wait a sec," Diggle injected. "Oliver, remember how we got Captain Lance off your trail that first year?"

Oliver's eyes lit up.

"You're right," Oliver affirmed, and then turned to Captain Lance. "If we found a way to make sure nobody knew you were the one to let Roy go, would you do it?"

"Yeah...but how are you going to do that?"

"Leave that to us."

"If I run, that'll be it," Roy lamented. "I won't be able to come back to this city. Hell, I probably won't even be able to stay in this country. Where am I going to go?"

"Where are _we_ going to go, you mean," Thea added. "You're not leaving me again."

"Thea –" Oliver began to object.

"I only joined this group to help Roy fill in for you," Thea explained. "Now that he is running, I'm going with him."

Oliver looked at her, and began to realize she was not the same little girl he grew up with. He had to remember just because it took him 5 years on an island to grow up, that didn't mean Thea couldn't grow up on her own. He slowly nodded his head, more as an acknowledgement of her adulthood than giving permission.

"Alright, so what's this plan of yours?" Captain Lance asked.

Two police officers sat at either side of the door, one reading a newspaper and the other on his phone looking at Facebook. They were charged with making sure the Arrow didn't escape, but given the height the room was and the lack of adjoining buildings, there was no way he was getting out without going through the hospital. One of them checked the inside of the room every hour or so, but they both felt pretty confident the vigilante wasn't going anywhere. The officer reading the newspaper turned the page, and that's when he noticed Captain Lance walking towards them. He whispered at the other officer to look alive and they both stood to greet their superior.

"Can we help you, sir?" the newspaper one asked.

"No that's okay," Captain Lance eased. "I was just here to make sure our prisoner was secure. The DA would have my ass if the Arrow got away."

"Of course, sir. The prisoner is secure. We checked less than five minutes ago."

"Good. I'll just take a quick look and – what the hell?"

The officer turned to where Captain Lance was looking and his mouth dropped. At the east end of the hallway stood the Arrow, bow and all.

"There's two of them!" the other officer exclaimed and pointed behind them.

At the west end of the hallway, stood another Arrow, bow and all.

"I AM THE ARROW!" Both masked men shouted as they drew their bows, their voices distorted. The officers pushed Captain Lance behind them and began to open fire. The masked men shot their arrows and missed the officers before they both took off running in opposite directions.

"I've got the west, you two take the east!" Captain Lance ordered the officers.

The officers nodded and took off running after the Arrow they had been assigned. Captain Lance ran, but after a few seconds looked over his shoulder and saw the officers disappear around the corner and then stopped. He went back to the room and quickly went inside. He rushed up to Roy and unlocked his handcuffs.

"Good luck out there, kid," was all he said before he ran back out to pretend to search for the masked man.

Roy put on some clothes, including his red hoodie, that Laurel had brought earlier and then ran down the stairs as fast as he could. He slipped the hood over his head as he walked in a hurried pace but did not run, hoping to avoid drawing any attention to himself. He saw the van pull up right in front of the hospital entrance, and Roy made it through the doors and let out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding. He jumped into the van, and they drove off into the night.

Oliver watched from the shadows of the alleyway nearby. He watched his sister in the driver seat as she navigated through the sparse night traffic. He remained there until she was out of sight, and hoped it was not the last time he would see his sister.

"_Did they make it out okay?_" Felicity asked over the comms.

"Seems like it," Oliver sighed.

"_Well...I__ don't mean to ruin this sentimental moment of watching your sister elope with your former apprentice, but there is a situation_."

"They're not eloping they're… oh my God they are eloping aren't they," Oliver grumbled.

"_Yep! Anyways, an alarm for a gun store just went off. Seems like someone is trying to gear up for something big._"

"On my way. Did you get that Diggle?"

"_Affirmative, meet you there_," Diggle stated.

"_I'm just about to finish suiting up. Oliver come grab me on the way,_" Laurel checked in.

"Let's do this," Oliver pronounced.


	15. Epilogue

"How much for the bananas? I mean, uh...¿Cuanto cuesta?" Karina Sparshott struggled to ask the street vendor. She stood in the center of a mercado, which she thought meant market but apparently it meant swap meet because there were only outdoor stalls with no tarping despite the rain pouring over the island nation of Corto Maltese.

She didn't understand the number the stall owner had told her, and she held up 5 fingers, hoping it was somewhat close to the price. The street vendor then reached over and pulled one banana from the bunch, making it 5 instead of six, and said another number in spanish. Karina sighed in frustration and pulled out a bill with a five on it and held it up to offer. The vendor smiled wide and snatched it from Karina's hands. Apparently she had over valued the bananas, but didn't try to get it back. She would rather lose whatever money she had lost than continue the conversation any further.

Karina rushed back over to edge of the market, despite already being soaked, and hopped into a cab. She asked the driver how much to get back to her cottage, and he said another number she didn't understand. She asked again, and this time the driver gave her a number in english and she added up how much she had. The fare was about half of what she had on hand, and she still needed to buy some water from the corner store before tomorrow. With no other choice, she accepted the price and they drove off.

Thunder clapped upon their arrival, and she paid the driver under the inauspicious omen and ran up the small hill leading up to her cottage; the trail too narrow for the taxi to drive up to. She hurried inside and tried to turn on the light to no avail. The storm must have knocked out the power. Mumbling curses under her breath, she felt her way along the wall into the kitchen to set down her items.

When she imagined retiring on an island, she imagined it being more luxurious, with her own villa, sunshine everyday, and snorkeling or some other ridiculous activity for the rest of her days. After selling the bonds she stole from city hall and paying someone to help her extract her savings without a trace, she soon realized the money she had was nowhere near enough for all of that. Instead she settled upon this small cottage and used her funds for daily living; but at this rate she will probably have to find some kind of work within the next few months. _Not at all like __I__ planned,_ she thought as she poured herself a glass of wine.

The wine bottle suddenly exploded as soon as she set it down, caused by an arrow piercing through it. It was a black arrow.

Karina slowly turned around, not wanting to see what she already knew was there. She turned and saw someone clad all in black, a quiver full of black arrows, a sword on the back, and a black mask covering their face.

"Finally realized green wasn't your color, Oliver?" Karina bantered, trying to appear brave.

"It never really was," a female voice replied, startling Karina.

"Who are you?"

The assassin pulled down her mask.

"I don't think we ever officially met. I'm Thea Queen, and you kidnapped my boyfriend, tortured him for information and left me to believe he was dead," Thea conveyed with much resentment.

"I see," Karina stammered. "And you've come to force me back to Starling City, is that it? Well let's get going then. This place is a shithole anyways."

"That's the thing with people sometimes. Just because Oliver and I are siblings doesn't mean we see things the same way," Thea explained coldly. "Take for example, justice. See nowadays he would do exactly what you said and put you in a courtroom to face your crimes. However, I have been exposed to another idea of justice that sounds much more satisfying to me."

Thea walked over to the small dining table between them and laid down her bow and quiver. She then drew her sword laid it down next to them.

"I'll let you choose your weapon," Thea stated and then stepped back.

Karina looked at her questioningly, wondering whether it was some kind of trick. After a minute of just standing there, Karina walked up and picked up the bow. It was much heavier than it looked, and she wasn't even able to draw it more than an inch from it's resting point. She put it down and picked up the sword, also heavy, but was at least able to swing it with both arms, albeit slowly. _Sword it is_.

"Okay," Karina quivered, tears suddenly flowing down her cheeks. _I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'M GOING TO DIE._

Thea moved the small table out of the way, but left the bow and arrow resting on top.

"Ready?" Thea asked, as if they were about to leave together for the movies.

"Um...sure," Karina answered, not wanting to point out she had forgotten her weapon. _She doesn't have a weapon...maybe I have a chance._

Thea gave a short bow, which Karina mimicked because she was unsure what else to do, and then Thea signaled for her to begin.

Karina gave her best war cry as she ran up, swinging the sword way to early and missed Thea completely. Thea remained unmoved, and Karina took two more steps before swinging the sword upwards from the ground. Thea spun and struck downwards at Karina's elbow joints, which caused her arms to bend and the sword went inwards, cutting into Karina's left shoulder since she didn't have the strength to stop it's momentum.

Karina let out another cry, although this time of pain, and collapsed to the ground. She had no more fight in her, and was ready for it to just be over.

"Is that how Roy screamed when you were torturing him? Huh?!" Thea shouted.

"Just kill me already!" Karina spat.

"You're so weak, it's pathetic," was all Thea could muster as she pulled the sword out of Karina's shoulder. Karina screamed again as blood began to rush out of the wound. Thea stood over Karina. "I'm going to leave you here in your own personal hell. But if you ever – look at me! Look right here!"

Thea crouched down and grabbed Karina's chin, forcing her to remain awake and look into Thea's eyes.

"If you ever leave this island, I _will_ kill you. Do you understand?"

Karina nodded her head weakly, and Thea slammed her head back against the ground. Karina whimpered, and continued to sob as Thea showed herself out. Another hooded figure stood to the right of the front door, and Malcolm Merlyn pulled off his mask.

"You need to finish her, Thea," Malcolm scolded. "It is the League's way."

"No," Thea shot back. "I just spent the last year of my life doing thing's the way you and Oliver tell me. Now it's time for me to do things my own way."

Thea stormed off, not wanting to hear whatever chastising her father would give and put her mask back on. She took a moment to look up at the sky. The storm had ended, and the sun's rays pierced through small openings in the clouded sky. It was the start of a new day.


End file.
